At the end of October 2017, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) liberated the northern Syrian city of Raqqa from the rule of the terrorist militia "Islamic State" (ISIS). This began a period of self-organization and emancipation. First, the city administration was handed over to the Civil Council. Since then, a new life has been built up in the health, education, security and many other sectors of society.

As part of the reconstruction work in Raqqa, the Civilian Council, in collaboration with the Urban Environment Committee, launched a tree planting campaign on 15 March. In less than a month, 7,000 trees were planted throughout the city.

ISIS had destroyed almost all parks and gardens during its reign of terror in the "capital" of its self- proclaimed caliphate. Many green areas in Raqqa and outside the city were turned into mass graves. Only in January had a large mass grave with at least 3,500 ISIS victims been found on arable land. It is the largest mass grave discovered in northern Syria so far.