5 international organizations mobilized for the independent Syrian medias

During the last Syria Coordination Meeting in Istanbul in September 2015, representatives of independent Syrian media institutions chose eight of their colleagues to form a coordination committee tasked with setting the agenda of the next Coordination Meeting, in collaboration with delegates from five international media development organisations through a process facilitated by GFMD.

Since, the Syrian coordination committee has launched a survey to identify the needs and challenges of Syrian independent media and found effective mechanisms to communicate with and receive input from all participating institutions.

With support from the European Union and UNESCO, the joint Syrian-international coordination committee met on January 27-28, 2016 in Paris, at CFI's offices. The meeting began with an update on recent developments that have affected independent Syrian media, more specifically the security situation in Turkey since the assassination of two journalists from Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently in Urfa in October and of Naji Jerf in Gaziantep in December 2015, the travel restrictions imposed by the Turkish authorities and various other administrative hurdles. Then, the Syrian committee shared the initial results of the survey, which indicated a strong discussion about the agenda of the next Syria Coordination Meeting, to be held end of May 2016 in Istanbul, so that it responds to the specific needs of the independent Syrian media institutions and addresses the challenges they have been facing.

The Syrian coordination committee moved the next day, on January 29, to Brussels, where they met with representatives of the European External Action Service, the EU Commission's DG Development and Cooperation and DG for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations. The talks revolved around steps that can facilitate the work of Syrian media institutions where they are located and channels to convey the point of view of Syrians when new media development projects are designed. This first meeting was followed by a round table discussion with representatives of international journalists' NGOs on cooperation mechanisms and ways to protect Syrian journalists against the many risks they face. The day concluded with a chat with several correspondents of Belgian and international media based in Brussels on the professionalisation of the independent Syrian media and the role of this sector in Syria's future. The day in Brussels was made possible thanks to the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Flanders region, which also hosted the second and third meetings at its headquarters.

Article from the GFMD website.

See also here (Syrian journalists meet European counterparts)