The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) was established at the Third Conference of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) on July 16, 2018 in the city of Al Tabqa. This resolution was approved with the consent of all 300 representatives who were selected from their people throughout the regions of the AANES.

The final Communiqué of the meeting declared the formation of an administrative structure that coordinates the services between the seven regional administrations of Jazeera, Afrin, Euphrates (al-Furat), Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa, and Der Al-Zor.

The establishment of the AANES was announced on September 6, 2018 at the headquarters of the SDC in the town of Ain Issa in Girê Sipî canton, Euphrates (al-Furat) region.

The participants agreed on a Social Contract, detailing the relationship between different ethnicities and religions in the regions of the AANES. The Social Contract was written to respect the internationally accepted borders of Syria. It was drafted to implement a collective decision-making mechanism created to prevent any aggression against the will of the people. Hundreds of institutions, councils, and communes were established in villages, towns, and cities.

One of the most important outcomes was the establishment of an advanced level of local self-protection that began with local police, the Asayish, and the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), which later became part of the multi-ethnic and multi-religious Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The Preamble of the Social Contract of this Administration states that the peoples of the AANES include the Arabs, Kurds, Christians (Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, and Arameans), Yezidis, Turkmen, and Armenians.

“By our free will, we declare this Contract to achieve justice, freedom and democracy in accordance with the principles of ecological balance and equality, without discrimination based on race, religion, belief or gender. The goal of this Contract is to enable the political and moral fabric of the democratic society to achieve its functions, which are mutual understanding, coexistence within pluralism, respect people’s rights for self-determination, the rights of women and children, self-protection and defense, and respect for freedom of religion and belief.”

Executive Council: The Executive Council (EC) consists of two Co-Chairs, ten Commissions, and eight offices. The EC oversees and coordinates the work of the commissions and offices in each of the regional administrations. The EC sets the budget for each region.

• The Commissions: Local Administrations, Interior, Finance, Education, Health and Environment, Economy and Agriculture, Women, Social Affairs and Labor, Culture and Art, Youth and Sport.
• The Offices: Foreign Relations, Oil and Natural Resources, Humanitarian Affairs and Organizations, Religions and Beliefs, Defense Affairs, Planning and Development, Media, Advisory.

Legislative Council: Two Co-Chairs are elected from within 70 representatives. The Legislature comprise of 49 Representatives (seven from each of the seven regions) and 21 Technocrats (experienced legislators).

Justice Council: The Council consists of two Co-Chairs, elected from within 13 judges. All judges are elected from their regional justice councils. It is the highest judicial authority in the AANES. It organizes and supervises the justice institutions in the seven Regional Administrations. This Council does not see cases nor interfere in the courts of the region. It deals with legal conflicts between the regions.

Executive Council: The organization and composition of the Regional Executive Council mirrors that of the AANES. It supervises the work of the commissions and offices at the regional level, submits reports to the Executive Council of the AANES, and approves the general budget of the region.

Legislative Council: It supervises the work of the Commissions and Offices of the Executive Council through Committees. It drafts legislation and passes laws for the region. It grants confidence to the Executive and Judicial Councils. The Co-Chairing system is used, while the number of legislatures is dependent on the population of each region.

Justice Council: It consists of two Co-Chairs, elected from within the judges. The number of judges depends on the needs of each Region. It oversees the courts across the Regions in accordance with the laws accepted by the AANES and the Regions.

The councils are elected representative bodies that organize the community through direct democracy mechanisms. Each council consists of the standard ten Committees that exist from the Commune level to the Canton level. They are authorized to make decisions within their administrative limits. They work to achieve the political, social, and economic goals of society. The councils adopt the Co-Chairing System based on gender representation, with equal tasks and powers for men and women. Women voluntarily participate in periodic meetings that aim to discuss their own affairs. This is part of the Democratic Confederal System of Women.