Bylaws
These are the rules that govern the Association of Syrian Entrepreneurs: who we are, why we exist, who joins us and with what rights, how decisions are made, and where the money goes. We publish them because transparency is not a clause in this document — it is how the organisation works.
Reference note: this is a simplified public presentation written for beneficiaries and stakeholders. The statutory text registered with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour is the sole authoritative reference in case of any discrepancy, and its article numbering is the one used in official records and correspondence.
Identity
Name and legal status
The Association of Syrian Entrepreneurs is a civil association registered by Decision No. (5476) of 2025 of the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour, under the Law on Associations and Private Institutions No. 93 of 1958 and its executive regulations.
Seat and scope
The Association is seated in Damascus Governorate. Its activity extends across all territory of the Syrian Arab Republic and reaches Syrian entrepreneurs abroad within the limits permitted by applicable law.
Nature
The Association is a non-profit body, independent in its decisions, and engages in no partisan or sectarian activity. It began as an initiative of entrepreneurs themselves before registration, then chose formal registration to gain legal standing, accountability and the legitimacy to represent the sector.
The dual structure: Association and Union
The organisation operates as two layers within one body:
- The Association (AoSEn): the legal layer — governance, contracting, receiving funding, formal representation, and public reporting.
- The Union (SEU): the community layer — the network of entrepreneurs, companies, mentors and investors, where meetups, networking and daily exchange happen.
The purpose of this separation is to hold institutional credibility and grassroots legitimacy inside a single organisation.
Vision, mission and values
Vision
A cohesive Syrian entrepreneurial community — and Syria on the region’s entrepreneurship map.
Mission
To empower Syrian entrepreneurs by building capacity, connecting them to capital, representing them before official bodies, and spreading a realistic entrepreneurial culture rooted in the Syrian market rather than imported into it.
Values
Operating philosophy
- From the market, not about the market: design starts from how Syrian business actually trades.
- Plain language: no jargon barrier between programme and participant — Arabic first.
- Application before theory: every session ends with something a founder can use the next morning.
- Peer-led: those who have done it teach those doing it. Credibility is earned, not claimed.
Objectives
Statutory objectives
The Association pursues the objectives set out in its registration decision:
- Represent Syrian entrepreneurs before government and international bodies, contribute to entrepreneurship-friendly policy, and defend their rights and interests as prescribed by law.
- Develop entrepreneurial capacity through training, mentorship and specialised consulting.
- Promote entrepreneurship culture and innovation among Syrian youth.
- Build networks connecting entrepreneurs at home and abroad with investors and funders, subject to the required approvals.
- Support the establishment and growth of small and medium enterprises.
- Contribute to sustainable, value-adding jobs and activate the entrepreneurial economy in local development.
- Build strategic partnerships with universities, incubators and development institutions.
Delivery pillars
These objectives translate into five delivery pillars: Community & Networking · Capacity Building · Investment Readiness · Policy & Government · Knowledge & Media. Details on the Programmes page.
Membership
Membership categories
The Association consists of two membership categories and one institutional affiliation. The everyday names are for communication; the legal designation shown as “statutory reference” is the one used in official records.
Full Member
An entrepreneur or professional who has moved from beneficiary to stakeholder. Not just drawing on the Union — building it, with a voice and a responsibility.
Key rights
- Attend and vote in the General Assembly
- Elect the board of directors and stand for board election
- Access financial and administrative reports
- Help set general policy and submit formal proposals
Key conditions
- 18 or older, of full civil capacity and good standing
- Resident within Syria
- A real entrepreneurial track record or documented professional contribution to the ecosystem
- Admission by board decision; annual subscription paid
Associate Member
An entrepreneur, venture owner, or aspiring founder who joins to benefit from the community, its programmes and its activities.
Key rights
- Take part in meetups, workshops and events
- Access the knowledge library and official community channels
- Apply to capacity-building programmes and investor sessions under published criteria
- Apply later for Full Membership once its conditions are met
Limits of the category
- No right to attend the General Assembly, vote, or stand for election
- May not speak on behalf of the Association or the Union without authorisation
Entrepreneurial Entity
A company, institution, incubator, university or funder that supports the Association and engages with it in an institutional — not personal — capacity.
Key rights
- Listed in the Association’s published partner network
- Co-design and host relevant programmes
- A seat in sector consultations and position papers
- Individual associate membership for its named representatives
Important limit
- The entity itself is not a voting member — the relationship is a partnership
- No amount of financial support buys authority over the Association’s decisions
Shared obligations
- Comply with these bylaws, the code of conduct, and the community publishing rules.
- Do not use membership status or the Association’s name for personal or commercial gain without written permission.
- Pay subscriptions on time.
- Full Members additionally contribute real time or expertise — in a committee, training, mentoring, or programme delivery.
Termination of membership
Membership ends in any of the following cases:
- Withdrawal by written request — withdrawal is an established right of every member.
- Failure to pay subscriptions within the statutory period after notice.
- Loss of any membership condition.
- Expulsion by a reasoned board decision for a serious breach of the bylaws or code of conduct, or for damaging the Association’s reputation.
An expelled member may appeal to the General Assembly at its first following meeting.
No refunds: neither a member, nor a former member, may recover admission fees, subscriptions, or donations paid to the Association — a statutory rule, not a policy open to exceptions.
Governance
The General Assembly
Composed exclusively of Full Members in good standing, it is the Association’s highest authority. It meets at least once a year and is responsible for electing the board, approving the administrative and financial reports, ratifying the plan, budget and final accounts, and amending these bylaws.
A Full Member exercises the right to attend the General Assembly after one year of membership, having met their obligations.
The board of directors
Elected by the General Assembly for a fixed term, the board manages and represents the Association, oversees delivery of its plans and programmes, and issues its internal regulations. It comprises a chairman, vice chairman, secretary general, treasurer and members.
A board candidate must have held Full Membership for two years, must not be related in the first or second degree to a sitting board member, and no board member may work for the Association for pay.
Executive secretariat and committees
The board may form an executive secretariat and standing or ad-hoc committees — community, capacity building, investment, policy, knowledge & media, membership — in which Associate Members and Entrepreneurial Entity representatives may take part.
Conflict of interest
Every board or committee member must disclose any personal or commercial interest in a matter under discussion and abstain from voting on it. No member votes on a decision that concerns an agreement with them, a dispute between them and the Association, or any matter of personal interest — except the election of the Association’s bodies.
Resources and transparency
Resources
The Association’s resources consist of member subscriptions, donations and gifts, sponsorship from Entrepreneurial Entities and partners, revenue from services, programmes and events, and grants and funding from local and international bodies — all subject to the required statutory approvals.
Use of funds
Resources are spent exclusively on the Association’s purposes; no surplus is distributed to members in any form. All amounts are collected against numbered, stamped receipts, deposited in the approved bank, and disbursed by duly signed payment orders.
Transparency
The Association keeps proper financial and administrative records reviewed by an external auditor, and publishes an annual report of its activity, results, and summarised income and expenditure — available to its members and partners.
General provisions
Independence
The Association accepts no funding or partnership that restricts its independent decision-making or imposes a position contrary to the interests of Syrian entrepreneurs.
Internal regulations
The board issues internal regulations detailing subscription amounts, admission procedures, movement between categories, digital community rules and working mechanisms, consistent with these bylaws. Current categories and fees are published on the Join page.
Amendment and dissolution
These bylaws are amended by General Assembly decision under the statutory quorum, subject to approval by the supervisory authority. In case of dissolution, the Association’s funds and assets devolve as prescribed by the applicable law on associations.
Legal reference
The Law on Associations and Private Institutions No. 93 of 1958 and its executive regulations apply in all matters not addressed by these bylaws.
Read the rules? The next step is simple
Choose your category — Entrepreneur Member, Entrepreneurial Entity, or Union Partner — and apply.