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ACTIVITY R E P O RT
2018
WHO WE ARE
ASML/Syria was established in 2011 by Syrians who believed in the democratic ideal of an independent media landscape which can inform, engage, and empower citizens. It was the beginning of the uprising and aspiring citizen journalists were showing promise. Since then, our project teams have led large-scale initiatives which have deeply transformed the media landscape – we worked on restoring telecommunication infrastructure, set up printing houses and FM networks across a war-torn country, and accompanied journalists in their pursuit of establishing credible newspapers and radio stations.
The country is suffering from an internationalised crisis which is tearing apart communities and destroying infrastructure. However, a resilient civil society fueled by a pluralistic media landscape is in place – though the future holds no promises for Syrians, media will continue to represent their voices and pursue truth on their behalf. As the space for pluralism and civil society appears to rapidly closing, our next challenge is to preserve the achievements of Syrian media by helping the independent Syrian media sector become a sustainable pillar of people’s lives.
Cover: Ghouta, January 2015 © REUTERS/ Mohmad Badra
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FOREWORD
2018 was a major emotional and political shift for Syrians and millions of people around the world who care about them. The hope for a negotiated political transition is on its last limb, and the window of political maneuver and action is rapidly shrinking. The aspirations of global Syrian civil society have adjusted to this new reality - How can we preserve at least some of the freedoms that were won? How can we achieve justice for what has been lost?
As of this writing, the US is waffling over its military exit, suggesting that the next looming phase of the conflict will be focused on Turkey and the SDF-controlled regions, while government military victory in all other areas feels like simply a matter of time. In April this year, the chemical attack in Douma was a grim reminder that the government approach to human rights has not changed. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, there are still over 200,000 forced disappeared, and at least 13,000 tortured to death in detainment. The war may be “winding down”, “essentially over” or other vague cliches deployed by international media, but the trauma of thousands of families without answers is only beginning. The story of the Syrian war is nowhere near over, and we will need to continue fighting to ensure these voices are heard.
With regard to this specific mission, we believe that through slightly squinted eyes, a glimmer of hope may be visible. In 2018, the world paid noticeably more attention to the importance of journalists and freedom of expression than any time in recent memory, probably because they now feel under threat in the
West as well. The murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciák was a shocking realization that free press cannot be taken for granted, even in the heart of Europe, meanwhile the American administration has actively obstructed reporters who ask “too many questions”. The murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside his country’s embassy was met with global shock and condemnation, and global campaigns by the UN and International Federation of Journalists called to #endimpunity for violence against journalists. Perhaps the most heartbreaking of these moments was the assassination of two of our own heroes - Raed Fares and Hammoud Al-Jneid.
Raed and Hammoud led Radio Fresh, one of the bravest and most resilient independent Syrian media organizations. Their voices remained stubbornly true to the spirit of revolution and freedom, years after the world had stopped using these words to talk about Syria. Their deaths were a major blow to Syrian civil society, but also a reminder of how much work still remains, how many lives like theirs are in danger every day. Globally, free expression and independent media are sustaining new threats, but in Syria these threats are not new at all - 11 journalists were killed in Syria in 2018 alone.
In 2019, we will be expanding our efforts to protect journalists and sustain independent media in Syria. We make this commitment not only for Syrian journalists and media themselves, but for the millions of Syrians who are relying on them to tell their story.
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Ghouta November 2015 © SMARTNewsAgency / Fady Alshamy
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2018 IN BRIEFIn 2018, several ongoing projects of ASML/Syria continued and grew, while we also launched ambitious new initiatives.
Our Women Empowerment through Media programme has expanded and remains a highlight of our accomplishments, having trained 30 women this year in Idleb and Raqqa, giving them the skills to work professionally in the media sector. The training platform created as part of this programme has matured and attracted its own audience, exposing issues and breaking taboos in Syrian society. As a multimedia platform of Syrian women writing for other Syrian women, they are uniquely positioned for wider social impact, reaching women from all backgrounds and regions. Since the start of the programme in 2017, 77% of participants have become professional journalists.
In France, we enjoyed two inspiring moments of advocacy action: one familiar and one new. We led the third edition of Syrien n’est fait, the largest Syrian cultural festival in Europe, which received over 4000 visitors and brought over 40 participating artists, performers, filmmakers, musicians, and writers. As in previous years, the event received national media attention and is becoming an important date on the Paris cultural calendar. Our other advocacy milestone was a research report compiled on banking challenges for Syrian NGOs in France. After interviewing 25 French-Syrian organizations, we found that the majority had experienced unexplained denials of service by banks, including transfers refused and accounts randomly closed. This research launched a dialogue with key French government ministries and financial industry stakeholders, which we are pleased to continue in 2019.
The most significant achievement of this year may have been the launch of our Emergency Assistance to Journalists programme. Working as a journalist inside Syria remains one of the most dangerous jobs in the
world, and international media have in many cases ignored any responsibility to protect, compensate, or support freelancers when they are injured or in danger as a result of their work. Fulfilling a goal our team has held for several years, in 2018 we were able to start providing emergency medical and financial assistance to journalists inside Syria who have life-threatening injuries or need emergency evacuation. Through partners inside Syria, we have been able to reimburse surgeries, medication, and physical therapy, and in many cases provided support payments for the families of beneficiaries during their recovery period.
Additionally, we embarked on a capacity-building mission with our partner media network Al Bawaba, which delivers practical information for daily life and crucial local conditions in 4 cities inside Syria, helping populations be resilient and in some cases saving lives. We worked with their editorial team and local reporting teams to develop a comprehensive, results-based strategy for reaching and appealing to their audience, as well as developing a training component for the programme. As a result of our collaboration, in the first month after the re-launch of the network, the reach of Al Bawaba content already increased by 50%. It continued to grow rapidly through the rest of the year, demonstrating the power of audience research and a targeted social media strategy.
These are just some of the notable achievements from 2018, and each of these programmes have exciting room to grow and evolve in the upcoming years. While many of our projects have continued from 2017, none have remained static, adapting to the changing situation inside Syria and the new set of political, social, and humanitarian goals for Syrian civil society. This report summarizes our progress on each project, and features stories of several brave men and women we protect and support.
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OUR PROGRAMS
In 2018, we significantly expanded our commitment to helping individual journalists, adding a programme of medical care and financial support to our existing training programme for female journalists. We also continued our capacity development support to key media partners SMART News Agency and Al Bawaba, and embarked on new research-based advocacy activities. The programme areas in which our activities were focused this year are media support, advocacy, women empowerment, media services, advocacy, and support to journalists.
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MEDIA SUPPORT Our media support programme aims to help the independent Syrian media sector become more sustainable and reinforce the impact of civil society as a whole. We do this through capacity-building projects and partnerships with independent Syrian media organizations, including our longest-standing partnership with SMART News Agency.
MEDIA SERVICESWe invest in media because it can concretely help people. Our media services programme helps Syrian media meet the acute needs of Syrians, promote their resilience, and alleviate humanitarian suffering. This year we expanded a network of local, social-media based news outlets called Al Bawaba, and completed an extensive audience survey to understand the information needs of Syrians.
SUPPORT TO JOURNALISTSThis year, we launched a programme to support individual journalists. Our aim is to help sustain the talent pool of the Syrian journalism sector, both in Syria and in the diaspora, and also to honor the courage and sacrifice of the brave men and women who took up this dangerous but crucial role.
WOMEN EMPOWERMENTIn 2018, we continued our successful Women Empowerment through Media Programme, which amplifies the voices of women in Syrian civil society while helping the Syrian media sector better serve all Syrians. Our partnership with Ayni Aynik provides career opportunities to Syrian women in journalism and develops future civil society leaders.
ADVOCACYWe aim to raise awareness in Europe of the vibrant Syrian civil society, advocate for the interests of Syrians, and promote the achievements and importance of independent Syrian media. In 2018 we held the third edition of Syrien N’est Fait (SNF#3), our annual Syrian cultural festival, as well as completing research on banking challenges for French-Syrian organizations.
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MEDIA SUPPORT
CAPACITY BUILDING FOR THE SMART NEWS AGENCY
6 training workshops
26 SMART News reporters trained
1253 total hours of training and coaching
3000+ English-language reports published
3200+ videos and photos published
18-20daily average pieces of English-language content produced
SMART News Agency is one of the first independent Syrian news agencies, and remains ASML/Syria’s most long-standing and crucial partnership. SMART provides hard news content to Syrian media organizations across the country, covering events from all regions of Syria. It exists to serve as a foundation for a healthy and diverse independent media sector, as a reliable source of content without political affiliation or editorialization.
ASML/Syria provided capacity-building support to SMART News Agency
throughout 2018, helping professionalize their teams and expand their services to reach new media organizations and markets. First, a series of training workshops was delivered, covering topics including digital and e-marketing, public relations, photography techniques, feature report writing, news topics, and investigative journalism.
These workshops were implemented in France, Turkey, and remotely via Skype, with over 100 hours taking place in-person. Including the workshops and the ongoing personalized coaching of each SMART reporter, 1253 total hours of training were delivered in 2018.
In addition, ASML/Syria supported the launch of an English section of SMART News Agency. The English section was created to help the organization reach a global market and attract new customers in international media. With 4 editors and 5 translators, the English section publishes content produced by SMART reporters inside Syria for an international audience. As of July 2018, the English team had published 3096 reports and published 3227 photos and videos. The majority of this team works remotely, and the increasingly complex situation for NGOs in Turkey means that perfecting this way of working will be highly strategic for the organization’s future, as it will likely be necessary to move the majority of operations to different countries over the next few years.
Ghouta June 2018 © SMARTNewsAgency / Ghaith Alhalaby
ASML/Syria is committed to supporting SMART News Agency because we believe in its crucial role for the future of Syrian media. As the global political situation changes and donor priorities change with it, creating a sustainable business model will be crucial if independent Syrian media is to survive. Of all the types of media organizations that have flourished in Syria since 2013, a news agency has the clearest path to commercial sustainability, and in doing so can provide verified, non-politically affiliated content through the challenging years ahead. Through professionalizing its teams and diversifying the markets it can access, we hope to create a solid foundation for future sustainability, and will continue this capacity-building project in 2019.
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CAMPAIGN FOR CIVIL SOCIETY EMPOWERMENT
10 weeks of campaigns
10 different topics
8 media partners
138 stories published
ASML/Syria organised a campaign over 10 weeks to raise awareness of the achievements of civil society in 10 different fields.
▶ Medical care and protection of vulnerable people
▶ Human rights and justice
▶ Science and technology
▶ Culture, arts, and sport
▶ Women empowerment
▶ Democracy building
▶ Industry, trade, and business
▶ Media
▶ Education
▶ Local administration
The campaign was run in partnership with 8 Syrian Media outlets: Enab Baladi, the Syrian Press Center, Souriatna, Sada al-Cham, Hibr, Zaytoun, SMART News Agency, and Al Bawaba.
In total, 138 stories were published as part of the campaign, and each week the ASML/Syria newsletter gave an overview of media coverage of each topic. The campaign successfully brought attention to Syrian civil society as unsung heroes of war, caring for the vulnerable, supporting society economically, socially, culturally, and psychologically. ASML/Syria’s public commitment to Syrian civil society is a demonstration of our conviction that only Syrians can determine the future of their country.
138 stories in 10 different fields
18 Medical care and protection of vulnerable people
17 Human rights and justice
12 Science and technology
10 Culture, arts, and sport
18 Women empowerment
15 Democracy building
11 Industry, trade, and business
13 Media
11 Education
13 Local administration
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MEDIA SERVICES
SUPPORT TO AL-BAWABA LOCAL MEDIA NETWORK
4 local teams in 4 Syrian cities
730,000 people reached in December 2019 alone
50%increase in reach just one month into ASML/Syria’s capacity building project
In 2018, we continued our support for Al Bawaba, a network of local media teams that deliver up-to-date local conditions and announcements for civilians inside Syria. Operating in Idleb, Aleppo, Hama, and Hasakeh, each local “bawaba” is run by a team of reporters that work with local civil society, medical facilities, and administration to deliver concrete updates that make daily life more manageable and help people stay safe.
Local teams in each area disseminate information through Facebook, which has been well-researched and documented as the best way to reach the largest number of Syrians. They have covered everything from major threats like bombings and hurricanes to daily services and notifications: topics like road safety, clinics, schools, commodity prices, etc. Each city is serviced by a team of 4-5 reporters, generally early-career journalists gaining valuable experience in journalism as a public service. They report on a wide range of topics, a sample of which include:
▶ Advance airstrike warnings
▶ Disease and public health warnings
▶ Directories of medical facilities
▶ Weather reports
▶ Road closures
▶ Checkpoint locations
▶ Job announcements
▶ Exchange rates
▶ Commodity prices
▶ School announcements
▶ Local events
▶ First aid advice
▶ Legal advice
▶ Local council announcements
▶ Humanitarian aid
▶ Vaccination campaigns
▶ Local transportation schedules
▶ Local civil society organizations
This year ASML/Syria worked with the Al Bawaba editorial team and local reporting teams to develop a comprehensive, results-based strategy for reaching and appealing to their audience, as well as developing a training component for the programme. As a result of our collaboration, Al Bawaba re-launched
their information services with increased focused on concrete local conditions and an intentional strategy for reaching their audience through multiple social media platforms. In the first month after this re-launch, the reach of Al Bawaba content already increased by 50%. It continued to grow rapidly through the rest of the year, demonstrating the power of audience research and a targeted social media strategy. By the end of 2018, their crucial information was reaching over 730,000 people each month. As they build momentum and a wider audience in 2019, we expect this number to grow exponentially.
Facebook analytics on Al Bawaba informational posts:
November 2018 December 2018
Post engagement 380 000 620 000
Reach 503 000 740 000
Ghouta June 2018 © SMARTNewsAgency / Ghaith Alhalaby
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RESEARCH AND REPORT PUBLICATION
In 2018, ASML/Syria completed a report on media consumption and information needs in two towns in Idleb Governorate that we began researching in 2017. The survey was implemented in Arabic by local researchers, and was completed by 1059 people in total. The 6-page questionnaire asked questions about media consumption, preferred mediums and platforms, information interests and needs, and basic demographic information (age, gender, location, displacement status, etc.)
The key findings from this research were highly informative, and working with a statistician we were developed a 16-page report that provides several meaningful insights on the role of media in Syrians’ lives. In the report we examine relationships between Syrians and various information mediums and topics, including Syrians of all ages, backgrounds, and residency status (displaced and host populations).
While several papers have been published examining the independent Syrian media landscape and its growth in recent years, to our knowledge, ours is the only study focused on the audience: examining what the Syrian population actually wants from the media sector, not just what they have been receiving.
Using our data, we are able to paint a picture of who uses which mediums to access information, what information they look for, and how successful they typically are in finding it. We believe this analysis can be highly valuable for humanitarian aid delivery, for media development, and for crucial public services such as those provided by local administration. The report, which we will be circulating and presenting in 2019, helps Syrian civil society understand what information Syrian civilians are looking for, and how to deliver it to them most efficiently.
Smartphones are the dominant means of accessing the internet among both displaced and non-displaced populations, with 56% of respondents reporting they have personal internet access on their phone.
Displaced people expressed higher interest in most types of information that were included in the survey when compared to the interest from non-displaced people.
Apart from specific types of information related to the domestic sphere, women are generally interested in similar information as men, including first aid, road safety, medical advice, basic prices, and general physical safety information. Additionally, they expressed an overall higher interest in all information types when compared to men.
Despite the high rates of access to information technology, Syrians surveyed still often fail to find the information they need. Most likely this indicates that the information either does not exist, does not exist or they do not know where to find it consistently.
Television is uniformly widespread, while internet and telephone are slightly less available but still largely pervasive.
Facebook has secured a role as an absolutely crucial source of information in Syria, as important as television.
There is strong demand for information services. Demand falls into the same overall themes:
physical security (general physical safety, first aid information, road safety)
and health (hospital status, vaccination campaigns, medical advice).
the local economy (basic prices, exchange rates, job announcements),
Citizens are considerably better equipped for information technology and access to information than one might expect, including displaced communities.
KEY FINDINGS: INFORMATION NEEDS AND ACCESS AMONG CITIZENS IN NORTHERN SYRIA IN 2017
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SUPPORTING JOURNALISTS
EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE IN SYRIA
In summer 2018 we launched a new programme, Emergency Assistance for Journalists in Need. The project supports individual Syrian journalists who are in life-threatening situations or have potentially career-ending injuries. ASML/Syria provides individualized support that includes medical care, evacuation, compensation during a recovery period, support in their job search, and retraining for those who can no longer continue in journalism.
Top to the bottom: Funeral of the journalist Khaled Issa, Kafranbel June 2016 © SMARTNewsAgency / Bilal Bayosh; Memorial for journalists assassinated, Aleppo, August 2016 © SMARTNewsAgency / Abdallah Abo Yousef
Thus far in 2018, our support has been focused on medical care and financial support to beneficiaries during their recovery period. We have developed a detailed protocol for identifying and vetting potential beneficiaries, to ensure the safety and integrity of the programme, and ensure that priority is given to those who need it most. Through December 2018, we have
provided support to 6 journalists inside Syria, but as the programme reaches full capacity in 2019, we expect this number to increase dramatically.
Through diverse tools and types of support, we hope to prevent journalists from dying of their injuries, being trapped in potentially fatal situations, being forced to stop working, or being left with no income despite their brave service.
I hope that one day I will be able to work again as a journalist in SyriaOMAR DIMASHQI: Syrian journalist receiving support from ASML/Syria
Omar is only 22, but has been a journalist for already 6 years. One of his very first memories of the revolution in Syria is the killing of one of his friends by the regime forces in eastern Ghouta: “I didn’t realize before, that you can die when you’re only 16, and everything changed then. I was not afraid anymore and I wanted my voice to be heard. It was the motivation of delivering the truth to the world, and so I took the camera and started recording the daily life in Ghouta.”
In October 2017, a shell fell next to him and his colleague, while they were covering the events that occured in the city of Hamorieh (Damas governorate) Evacuated by the Civil defense, Omar had to go through a 7 hours surgery and 4 days of coma, before regaining consciousness. His colleague, Qais al Qadi, did not survive. Disabled since then, Omar needs permament care. After the siege of Western Ghouta, he has been displaced to Idlib, where accessing medical care is even harder.
Despite a small monthly amount of money that his employer is giving him, Omar does not benefit from any financial aid for his medical care. He is no longer able to work and had to stop his work as journalist. However, he still hopes to be able to soon work again as a journalist.
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JOURNALIST SAFE HAVEN IN FRANCE
1 journalist already in residence in France
+ 4 additional regions currently planning to host Syrian journalists
In late 2018, we started exploring ways to expand the Emergency Assistance programme so that journalists who are not safe in Syria or Turkey can come to Europe. We aim to provide them with not just a safe environment, but opportunities for meaningful work and career advancement, continued medical care for those who need it, and a network to help them reintegrate into the labour market as journalists and media professionals.
We have worked with French administration and local NGOs in France to create a residency opportunity in Bretagne. We were able to bring a journalist to France who was not safe in Turkey, and provide him with housing and a support network of organizations, media professionals, and volunteers to help him find a professional role in France. In 2019 we will expand
this project and link beneficiaries to educational and training opportunities, as well as working with French schools to promote freedom of expression and raise awareness of the courage of journalists in conflict zones and totalitarian regimes.
Top to the bottom: a journalist in residency during a French course © Safe Haven in Fance; 2 journalists in residency in France © Safe Haven in France
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WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
MEDIA TRAINING
2 long term training cycles – in Idleb and Raqqa
30 women trained during 6 months
77% of trainees are now professional journalists
2018 was the second year of of our Women Empowerment Through Media programme, marked by expansion of the programme and impressive achievements by our trainees. In 2018 two workshops in partnership with the Syrian Press Center and IMPACT were implemented on-the-ground in Idleb and Raqqa, with a total of 30 women. Each workshop delivered 70-80 hours of training in the span of one month, with full days of instruction in local civil society facilities complemented by real-world practice out in the community.
Top to the bottom: Samara Qwatli, Damascus and Journalist Judi Arash.
Instructional topics include written press production, history of media, audio and video production and editing, interview skills, and an overview of women’s rights and equality topics. Workshops are designed to give participants the practical skills and background knowledge they need to cover difficult topics and work as freelancers for local and international media. Since the beginning of the programme in late 2017, 77% of women who have completed the full training cycle have become professional journalists.
Training Workshop in the Internation Center for Training and Media Skills in Syria © Facebook
In the beginning I had zero experience in all the media fields – writing, audio, and video – but during the training I started to feel more comfortable, and I started to trust myself, especially when I started to publish my first articles and materials. I loved this. I loved having the opportunity to deliver my community’s voice, to tell the stories, and share it with the world. Producing media reports, from different genres, and different topics, gave me new knowledge; it enriched my life with new experiences, in addition to making me more aware of my society and their problems.Rita Khalil, 2018 workshop participant
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AYNI AYNIK - WOMENOFSYRIA.COM
173 articles, videos, and audio clips published by and for Syrian women
340 000 reached in 2018
1000%growth in average audience reach per post, from 2,000 in December 2017 to 21,000 in December 2018.
In 2017 we launched Ayni Aynik at womenofsyria.com as a training platform for workshop participants to continue to hone their skills after one month of instruction. In the past year, the platform has grown and developed its own character and community, with the majority of its content produced by trainees during a five-month continuous training period.
From each field workshop, 7-9 participants are selected to advance as trainees for a five-month continuous training phase, in which they become staff writers for Ayni Aynik. They receive coaching on each piece they produce from three trainers, specialized in written press, audio, and video production. To give them experience with “real-world” working conditions, they held to a firm production schedule and are paid for their work. The platform allows trainees to build a portfolio and gain concrete experience in the media sector. At any given time, there are roughly 14-18 trainees working on a regular publication schedule. By
the end of 2018, the Ayni Aynik facebook page was reaching over 89,000 people monthly, with over 5,000 engaging with posts.
Beyond its function for training, Ayni Aynik has grown into a high-quality media platform that covers important issues in Syrian society, shining a light on women’s experiences that are rarely discussed. Through its website, Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter accounts, and Youtube channel, the platform is increasing its online presence and promoting the work of its writers to reach new, ever-growing audiences. Bringing together women from many different regions and backgrounds, Ayni Aynik has developed its own editorial direction and brand, representing Syrian women in all their interests and aspirations. With professional leadership and editorial staff, we believe it will continue to grow and professionalize in 2019.
ASML/Syria and Ayni Aynik both regularly participate in awareness campaigns targeting both Syrian and international media.
The Syrian CSO Stichting Female Journalists Network (SFJN) organized a campaign on gender and sexuality to coincide with International Women’s Day 2018. ASML/Syria supported the creation of 18 items of content that contribute to the campaign (interviews, articles, videos) that contributed to this campaign and were publicized through partner media. Participants in the campaign included Ayni Aynik, SMART News, Al Bawaba, Enab Baladi, the Syrian Press Center, Souriatna, Sada al-Cham, Hibr, and Zeitoun.
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ADVOCACY
FESTIVAL SYRIEN N’EST FAIT – SNF#3
3rd edition
5 days
15 Syrian organizations
25 programme events and activities
40 artists and performers
40+ volunteers
4000+ visitors
The third edition of Syrien N’est Fait – SNF#3 - took place in early August, and received a tremendous reception from audiences. The five day festival was held again in central Paris at Les Grands Voisins, and featured a larger and more diverse programme than either previous editions with over 25 activities. Talented Syrian filmmakers, artists, musicians, academics, performing artists were gathered in one vibrant space for five days, and the event received major national media coverage, including RFI and Le Parisien. The festival guests included Syrians and non-Syrians from all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life. The objective to create a space for expression and exchange was clearly met with over 4000 attendees and 40 participants (artists, presenters, etc.)
SYRIEN N’EST FAIT...
هل أراك
ساملًا
منعمًا
Participating artists and performers in 2018 included:
▶ Jundi Majhul Watar
▶ Samih Choukaer
▶ Wael Alkak
▶ Sana Yazigi
▶ Dino
▶ Osloob
▶ Ziad Majed
▶ Hala Kodmani
▶ Farouk Mardam Bey
▶ Zakaria Abdelkafi
▶ Maria Oudaimah
▶ Haya El Ali
▶ Abo Gabi
▶ Najah Albukai
▶ Mohammad Omran
▶ Darina Al Joundi
▶ Brita Hagi Hassan
▶ Moustafa Khalifé
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Top to the bottom and left to right: NF#3, Paris 2018, Collectif-Nafass, ©Mario Jarweh; SNF#3, Paris 2018, Jesser and SNF#3, Paris 2018, conference.
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IS HELP ALLOWED?
After the multiplication of banking difficulties faced by development and humanitarian Syrian NGOs, we decided to partner with CODSSY, Women Now for Development and INS Syria to investigate on the extend of the problem.
In April we published a report on banking challenges for Syrian organizations in France, which has included random blockages of transfers and refusals or closures of accounts. After surveying 25 organizations that are well-established in France and take part in some kind of civil society work inside Syria, we found that 96% had been affected by blockages, and 80% had been categorically refused services. 4 of the 5 largest French banking groups are concerned, and similar problems are observed in Germany, United Kingdom and Belgium.
Interviews were conducted between January and March 2018 with 25 organizations. The report showed that:
▶ 96% of the associations surveyed are affected by the blockages;
▶ 80% are or have been categorically refused services ;
▶ 72% are victims of delays and rejection of international transfers.
ASML/Syria participated in a collective action led by CODSSY which convened French-Syrian organizations in order to discuss these issues, identify good practice, define a campaign strategy. This action led to the publication on May 3rd, 2018 of an open Letter of 28 French Syrian organizations. This letter was addressed to the President of the Republic, the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Minister of the Economy and Finance, to banking institutions and the High Authority of Prudential Control of the Banks (CPR).
Based on our findings, in France the issue revolves around the strict precautionary principle applied by banks and financial regulators to prevent the financing of terror. Unfortunately there is no transparency around the criteria organizations need to meet in order to be deemed low-risk, and there is no dialogue or investigation taking place in many cases, with accounts and transfers simply being cancelled without explanation. As a result, an inter-ministerial consultation process has been initiated by the government to find solutions, gathering Syrian organizations, including ASML/Syria, representatives of major banks and financial regulators, and relevant government ministries. While concrete policy change remains uncertain, this response has been very promising and this work will likely form a cornerstone for part of our advocacy strategy for the upcoming years.
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GUITI NEWSIn August 2018 we supported the creation of a French-language media platform led and directed by refugee journalists in France.
Guiti News refers to the Persian word “Guiti” meaning the world, the universe.
The platform aims to support innovative and creative projects by diverse contributors. The section on refugees and migration is headed by a team of two journalists, one French and one who is themselves a refugee. We look forward to continued collaboration with Guiti, connecting our work with journalists in Syria to to global engaged journalism movement.
VIRTUAL REALITY
In addition to their annual presence at the Syrien n’est fait festival, our VR advocacy films were shown at four additional events in France, in collaboration with UOSSM (Union des Organisations de Soins et Secours Médicaux). The film “Doctors Under Fire”, a production of ASML/Syria in cooperation with SMART News Agency and UOSSM was shown at major events across France. We work with virtual reality because of its unique psychological impact on the viewer, which research shows to be a powerful trigger of empathy, and therefore a useful tool for advocacy.
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