The process of integrating institutions affiliated with the Autonomous Administration into Syrian government structures entered a new stage in al-Hasakah governorate (northeastern Syria), after the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor announced the completion of the integration of the Autonomous Administration’s Women’s Authority into the ministry’s Syrian Commission for Family and Population Affairs.
The step is part of the implementation of the January 29 agreement between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, which provides for the gradual integration of military, security, and service institutions into state institutions.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor announced on Wednesday, July 15, that it had completed the integration of the Women’s Authority and the Social Affairs Authority, both affiliated with the Autonomous Administration, into the ministry’s structures in the eastern region. The announcement was made in the presence of Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind Kabawat, who said the restructuring process covered 390 male and female employees.
Kabawat said the announced list was “not merely a collection of names,” but included qualified personnel from the different components of Syrian society. They were selected according to standards involving competence, academic qualifications, and professional experience. She added that the ministry was seeking to build trust and launch joint projects, and that the Women’s Authority would become part of the ministry’s Syrian Commission for Family and Population Affairs.
During a press conference, Kabawat added that the integration included various directorates. She also said the ministry’s activities in the eastern region would be provided in Arabic, Kurdish, and Syriac.
Meetings Paved the Way for the Agreement
The announcement followed a series of meetings held over the previous two days between the Women’s Authority in al-Jazira, northeastern Syria, and the Syrian Commission for Family and Population Affairs, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. The negotiating committee also participated as part of efforts to complete the implementation of the understandings resulting from the January 29 agreement.
According to Enab Baladi’s correspondent in al-Hasakah, the meetings discussed the practical mechanisms for integrating the Women’s Authority into the Syrian Commission for Family and Population Affairs. They also addressed arrangements for transferring powers and personnel and reorganizing operations as part of a broader process to bring institutions affiliated with the Autonomous Administration under government ministries.
This development extends a series of steps taken in the governorate during recent months. The measures have covered various service and administrative sectors as part of a gradual institutional integration plan.
Ibrahim Khalaf: Implementation Began Immediately
Ibrahim Khalaf, director of the Social Affairs and Labor Directorate in al-Hasakah, told Enab Baladi that the agreement was signed after a lengthy period of preparations and meetings in Damascus and al-Hasakah. The discussions covered the various administrative and organizational issues that had to be addressed before implementation could begin.
He said the meetings addressed the establishment of new administrative units, the transfer of employees, the handover of government premises occupied by Autonomous Administration institutions, and the transfer of vehicles. The meetings also discussed the camps file and the mechanism for transferring their administration, with all details reviewed before the final agreement was signed.
Khalaf added that the agreement entered into force immediately and that there were no longer any timing obstacles to its implementation.
He said employees approved for integration into the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor would become government employees beginning next month. They will receive salaries from the state and obtain employment rights in return for complying with the responsibilities and duties established under government regulations.
Organizational Agreement Restructures Institutions
Khalaf described the agreement as “administrative, legal, and organizational,” explaining that it was not limited to the Women’s Authority. It also includes the integration of several institutions affiliated with the Autonomous Administration into the directorates and departments of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor.
He added that a review of the Women’s Authority’s work showed considerable overlap with the responsibilities of the Syrian Commission for Family and Population Affairs. This prompted the decision to integrate the authority into the commission after aligning the internal regulations of both bodies.
Other institutions previously affiliated with the Autonomous Administration were incorporated into Social Affairs and Labor directorates, Khalaf said. Other bodies were transferred to the General Organization for Social Insurance according to the nature of their responsibilities.
Women’s Authority to Become al-Hasakah Branch
Khalaf confirmed that the Women’s Authority would not continue in its previous form. Instead, it will become “a branch of the Syrian Commission for Family and Population Affairs in al-Hasakah governorate.”
The new branch will carry out the duties specified in the commission’s internal regulations and serve as its representative in the governorate. Suboffices will also open in different areas and subdistricts to ensure that services reach all parts of al-Hasakah.
Khalaf said several offices affiliated with the Women’s Authority would be redistributed according to their areas of specialization. Orphanages will be transferred to Social Affairs and Labor directorates, while care centers for people with disabilities and other facilities will be transferred to the relevant government bodies in accordance with the new administrative structure.
Comprehensive Personnel Assessment
Regarding the future of Women’s Authority employees, Khalaf said the agreement did not provide for retaining all employees in their previous positions. Instead, it calls for a comprehensive reassessment of personnel.
He said a specialized committee had been formed and had begun evaluating employees according to their academic qualifications, competence, professional experience, and completed training courses. The process is intended to make use of qualified staff within the new administrative structure.
Each male and female employee’s file will be reviewed individually, Khalaf added. He said the objective was not to preserve previous job titles, but to distribute personnel in accordance with the ministry’s needs and internal regulations.
The step follows the ministry’s announcement that the restructuring covered 390 male and female employees, with competence and experience adopted as the primary criteria for selecting personnel.
Drawing on Women’s Authority Staff Experience
Khalaf said the ministry viewed positively the experience accumulated by the Women’s Authority over previous years. He confirmed that this experience would be used within state institutions after the integration process was completed.
The Women’s Authority provided programs involving the protection of women, training and professional development, economic empowerment, and support for women who provide for their households and women subjected to violence, Khalaf said. He added that these experiences would benefit the work of the Syrian Commission for Family and Population Affairs after the personnel were transferred to it.
He said the opening of the new branch in al-Hasakah, together with offices in different areas and subdistricts, was intended to expand the reach of social services and make use of existing expertise. The expansion is consistent with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor’s strategic plan for 2026, 2027, and 2028.
New Step in Implementing January 29 Agreement
The integration of the Women’s Authority into the Syrian Commission for Family and Population Affairs is part of a series of measures implemented by the Syrian government since the January 29 agreement was signed. The agreement provides for integrating military, security, and service institutions affiliated with the Autonomous Administration into state institutions.
Recent months have seen meetings, integration procedures, and handovers in several service and administrative sectors. Joint committees continue working to complete the remaining files in al-Hasakah governorate and other parts of northeastern Syria.
At the beginning of 2026, al-Hasakah governorate saw field developments in which the Syrian army took control of the southern and eastern countryside and parts of the western countryside. The Syrian Democratic Forces remained in the cities of al-Hasakah and Qamishli (al-Hasakah governorate, northeastern Syria) and in other areas, creating an administratively divided situation.
On January 29, the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces reached an agreement to begin integrating military, security, and service institutions into government structures. Implementation began gradually in February and later expanded to service and administrative sectors, including social affairs. The sector is now seeing the transfer of the Autonomous Administration’s Women’s Authority into the Syrian Commission for Family and Population Affairs under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor.