HESNA MIHEMED

Shahba- The Social Contract of North and East Syria was first approved in 2014 and it has been amended three times until now. The General Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria approved the amended 134 articles of the Social Contract on December 12, 2023. NuJINHA spoke to Zelox Bekir, member of the Preparatory Committee for the Social Contract about the importance of the contract.

 Before approval of the contract, the General Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria held many meetings. “At the meetings, members of tribes and organizations discussed the drafted contract. Some meetings were suspended due to the attacks on the region. In 2023, a comprehensive meeting was held and the articles of the contract were approved after discussions,” Zelox Bekir told us.

‘Some articles of the contract had to be amended’

Reminding that the first contract was approved in 2014, Zelox Bekir said, “According to the contract, North and East Syria consisted of three cantons: Afrin, Kobanê and Qamishlo. The contract was amended in 2017. The amendments defined three regions and six cantons of North and East Syria. The Afrin Region consisted of two cantons: Afrin and Shahba cantons. The Euphrates Region consisted of two cantons: Kobanê and Girê Spî cantons and the Jazira Region consisted of two cantons: Hasakah and Qamishlo cantons. After the liberation of Tabqa, Raqqa, Manbij and Deir ez-Zor, many things changed. Therefore, some articles of the Social Contract had to be amended. North and East Syria now consists of seven cantons: Jazira, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, Euphrates, Manbij, Afrin/Shehba, and Tabqa.”

‘The Social Contract consists of four chapters’

The Social Contract approved on December 12, 2023 consists of 134 articles and four chapters. “The first chapter is about basic principles of society, and the AANES. The second chapter is about fundamental rights and freedoms. This chapter says that every person has freedom of belief, conscience, thought and opinion. The third chapter is titled as the Societal System. It is about education, training, organization, economy, health and mother language.

“In this chapter, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria organizes its democratic and free community life based on the formation of: communes, councils, academies, cooperatives, community economic units and institutions that complement the community system, which organize themselves in a confederal manner. The democratic system of society develops and is consolidated based on these institutions. The fourth chapter is about general provisions.”

‘Women participated in the drafting of contract with their own strength and experiences’

Zelox Bekir emphasized the role of women in the drafting of the contract. “Women from all tribes, nationalities and religions participated in the drafting of the contract; they voiced their opinions and suggestions. Women participated in the drafting of the social contract with their own strength and experiences. The contract puts emphasis on women’s rights and organizations. The most important of its goals is the principle of women’s freedom and achieving gender equality. The contract guarantees the equal participation of women in all facets of life. Women have been fighting for their rights for years and the social contract is a success for women thanks to the women, who resisted and made great efforts throughout the Rojava Revolution.”

‘The contract has an article about Yazidis’

The Social Contract guarantees the rights of Yazidis and Syriac people. “Article 41 of the Social Contract asserts the right of the Yazidis. Article 17 guarantees the political, cultural and economic rights of the Syriac-Assyrian people,” said Zelox Bekir.

“People write their own history’

“The AANES has protected the rights of the people since 2014. The 10th anniversary of the AANES is approaching. For about 10 years, the Social Contract has been amended three times as a requirement for democracy. However, the Constitution of Syria has not been amended for 50 years,” Zelox Bekir said, “The Social Contract guarantees equal life for everyone in North and East Syria. Today, the people of North and East Syria write their own history.”