The localization of aid in protracted conflicts: rethinking the Triple Nexus through the grounded temporality of Syrian refugees

Authors

  • Nell Gabiam Iowa State University

Abstract

This article enters ongoing debates about the definition and purpose of localization by drawing on interviews conducted in 2017 with members of Syrian refuge-led Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) based in the border city of Gaziantep in southern Turkey, who were involved in cross-border assistance and support networks targeting civilians inside Syria. Syrian individuals and NGOs have played a major role across the Triple Nexus of humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding assistance to war-affected Syrians. Additionally, Syrian refugee-led NGOs have been a crucial link in the cross-border aid effort targeting Syrian civilians living in rebel-controlled  parts  of  the  country,  areas  that  were  deemed  too dangerous to work in by most international organizations. Drawing on the narratives of members of Syrian refugee-led NGOs whose past lives in Syria,  diasporic  experience  as  refugees  in  Turkey,  and  aspirations  for Syria’s future informed their cross-border assistance to fellow Syrians, I argue  that  the  work  of  these  refugee  aid  providers  is  informed  by  a ‘grounded’  temporality.  This  temporality  emerges  out  of  refugees’ personal connection to Syria and contrasts with the linear, donor-centric one that informs institutionalized international aid. I end with a reflection on whether localization as empowerment can be achieved by incorporating the grounded temporality that informs the work of Syrian refugee aid providers into efforts to design an effective Triple Nexus response to protracted conflict.

Section
Research Papers

Published

2025-06-18

How to Cite

Gabiam, N. (2025). The localization of aid in protracted conflicts: rethinking the Triple Nexus through the grounded temporality of Syrian refugees. Fennia - International Journal of Geography, 203(1), 50–61. https://doi.org/10.11143/fennia.145439