World Council of Arameans (Syriacs), previously known as the ''Syriac Universal Alliance'' ( syr, ܚܘܝܕܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ ܬܒܝܠܝܐ, Ḥuyōdō Suryōyō Tbelōyō), is an international non-government

umbrella organization An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...

, whose membership consists of several national associations, representing Arameans (also known as ''Syriac'') from various countries around the world. Position of the SUA/WCA president is regarded as representative within Aramean/Syriac community. Since 2009, the organization is presided by Johny Messo.

Activities

The organization was founded in on 16 July 1983, in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, as the ''Syriac Universal Alliance'' (SUA), on the initiative of the ''American Aramaic Association'' and the ''Swedish Syriac Federation''. It was later joined by several other Aramean organizations from various countries. In 1999, SUA was given a

Special Consultative Status The consultative status is a phrase whose use can be traced to the founding of the United Nations and is used within the UN community to refer to "Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Soc ...

by the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...

. From 1999 to 2002, the organization was presided by Habib Afram (b. 1954), an Aramean/Syriac politician from

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

. He was succeeded by Gabriel Marawgeh, an Aramean/Syriac politician from Sweden, who represented SUA at the conference on genocide against Aramean people, held on 6 November 2007 in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, under auspices of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

. Under the presidency of Johny Messo (since 2009), the organization intensified its support for the notion of ''Aramean continuity'', and also for the promotion of Arameandom (''Oromoyutho''), primarily among those who self-identify as Arameans, but some wider concepts are also advocated. On several occasions, representatives of SUA/WCA stated that some other

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...

-speaking communities of the Near East, such as modern Assyrians and modern Chaldeans, should also be viewed as ''Arameans'', thus advancing a pan-Aramean narrative, that provoked reactions from other communities. Representatives of SUA/WCA have criticized the policy of Arabization, that was affecting both linguistic and ethnic identity of Arameans and other non-Arab communities in some

Arab countries The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western As ...

, particularly in Syria. In 2011, as a result of cooperation between SUA and the Council of Europe, an educational program was initiated, under the name: "''1st Aramean Young Leadership Programme: The Road to the Future''". In 2012, official name of the organization was changed to ''World Council of Arameans (Syriacs)''. New name was adopted in order to emphasize and promote Aramean identity, but traditional ''Syriac'' designation was also kept, as a symbol of continuity. In 2015, WCA had an active role in manifestations commemorating centenary (1915-2015) of

genocides Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Lati ...

committed by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

against various Christian communities in the Near East. In 2016, representatives of WCA participated in conference "''The Alarming Situation and Persecution of Aramean Christians''" that was held on 25 May in

, organized by the

European People's Party group The European People's Party Group (EPP Group) is a centre-right political group of the European Parliament consisting of deputies (MEPs) from the member parties of the European People's Party (EPP). Sometimes it also includes independent MEP ...

of the

. WCA delegation participated at the "''Third International Conference on the victims of ethnic and religious violence in the Middle East''", that was held in

, on 14 May 2018, under auspices of Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2019, WCA representative Hala Naoum Néhmé, an Aramean politician from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, was selected by the UN and appointed by

Geir Otto Pedersen Geir Otto Pedersen (born 28 September 1955) is a Norwegian diplomat, who is currently the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria. Career Born in Oslo, Pedersen is a cand.philol. by education and started working for the Norwegian Ministry of Fo ...

(UN Special Envoy for Syria) as one of 50 selected members of the Syrian Constitutional Committee.

Mission

''"The World Council of Arameans (Syriacs) is dedicated to answer the call to protect and secure the rights, liberty and equality of the Aramean people, safeguard and promote the cultural heritage of its ancestors, ensuring justice, and uniting all its people as a self-determined and internationally recognized Aramean nation."''

Members of the WCA

The current member-organizations of WCA are: * Australia: World Council of Arameans - Australia *

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

: Syriac Association of Vienna, in Austria *

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

: Federation of Arameans in Belgium (''Fédération des Araméens de Belgique'') *

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

: Federation of Arameans in Germany ( Bundesverband der Aramäer in Deutschland) *

: Federation of Arameans (Suryoye) in the Netherlands (''Suryoye Aramese Federatie Nederland'') * Sweden: Syriac Federation of Sweden ( Syrianska riksförbundet i Sverige) * Switzerland: Federation of Arameans (Syriacs) in Switzerland (''Föderation der Aramäer in der Schweiz'') *

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

: Aramean Association of the United Kingdom *

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

: Aramaic American Association

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links