Wembley to Host General Conference for Syrian Community in Britain
A public conference for the Syrian community in Britain is set to take place on Saturday evening, 2 May 2026, in Wembley, bringing together Syrian and Arab figures as part of efforts to establish a representative community structure in the UK.
A transitional committee, not a representative body
In a statement issued ahead of the event, the organising committee — described as the founding body for the Syrian community in the United Kingdom — stressed that its role is temporary and transitional, and that it does not consider itself an elected or representative authority.
The committee said its mandate is limited to preparing the groundwork for a future, democratically elected body.
Laying the foundations for a formal structure

According to organisers, the committee’s responsibilities include:
- Drafting the community’s internal constitution
- Establishing a governance framework
- Preparing for and convening a general conference open to community members
Once these steps are completed, organisers say transparent elections will be held, allowing members of the Syrian community to choose their representatives through a formal democratic process.
The committee added that its role will conclude immediately after elections are completed and responsibilities are handed over to the newly elected body.
Commitment to transparency
The founding committee emphasised its commitment to transparency and accountability, describing the current phase as a necessary step toward building an inclusive and representative community institution.
It also announced that none of its members will stand as candidates in the first electoral cycle, a move intended to ensure neutrality during the transition period.
Members of the founding committee
The committee includes a range of legal, professional and community figures, among them:
- Youssef Qanbas (lawyer)
- Mohammed Al-Wadi (lawyer)
- Bassam Tablia (lawyer)
- Bassam Jaara
- Safwan Baraqi
- Dr Yazan Dweidari
- Dr Samah Al-Hafian
- Nour Nours (legal adviser)
- Dr Khatam Al-Shar
- Dr Ahmed Awad Al-Saeed
- Dr Omar Jomaa
- Issa Satouf
- Mohammed Qanbas
Scope of work
The committee’s tasks extend across several areas, including legal and organisational preparation, administrative structuring, community outreach, election planning, partnership building, early financial management and reporting.
Event details
The conference will be held at Chalkhill Community Centre in Wembley at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, 2 May.
Free parking is available at ASDA nearby, while the closest transport link is Wembley Park station, located a short three-minute walk from the venue.
Organisers said the event is open to members of the Syrian community interested in contributing to the formation of a unified representative body in Britain.
Building a collective voice
The initiative reflects a broader effort among diaspora communities in the UK to organise more formally and establish representative frameworks capable of engaging with public institutions and wider society.
For organisers, the Wembley conference is intended not as an endpoint, but as the beginning of a structured process toward collective representation.
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