2016
ACTIVITY REPORT
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 revolutionised 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 fuelled by a pluralistic media landscape is in place – though the path towards a stable democracy will be arduous and plagued with challenges, the media will help to facilitate a transparent and representative transition.
FOREWORD
The humanitarian situation resulting from a protracted struggle for territory is horrifying. Schools, orphanages, and hospitals have not been spared. Those who have not fled face a complete collapse of infrastructure and deeply entrenched social fracture. This is Syria’s hour of need – ASML/Syria are responding with well-researched, innovative, and realistic programs which address the many needs of a beleaguered country. We have launched four programs as part of a new strategy: Justice, Women Empowerment, Civilian Protection, and Youth. In addition, we have significantly expanded our International Advocacy activities, reaching some of the world’s most important decision-makers The year has presented an array of challenges for our project teams but resilience and perseverance have produced results – we are proud of the achievements outlined throughout this document and have set in place a significant expansion of all four of our programs for 2017.
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2016 IN BRIEF Besieged areas of Syria have experienced relentless bombardment. The Syrian and Russian Governments have repeatedly denied deliberately targeting civilian locations but the evidence suggests otherwise. The World Health Organisation documented 126 attacks on hospitals in 2016;1 a quarter of Syria’s schools are no longer in operation meaning 2.1 million children are unable to attend school;2 nearly 15 million people are in need of water assistance.3 The death count is at well over 400,000, leaving a massive number of widows and orphans to fend for themselves in a country without infrastructure. Daesh’s extremist behaviour is unrelenting - by February, they had already abducted over 400 civilians in Deir Ezzour and killed over 100 in car bombs and suicide attacks in Damascus and Homs. Implementing projects has been extraordinarily challenging – our printing centres have been bombed, many journalists have fled or been killed, and the regime has gained ground forcing moderate civil society groups to go into hiding and suspend operations. Throughout 2016, ASML/Syria have been developing a new strategy in order to adapt to these terrible conditions. Our strategy is in line with our overall objective, namely, to pioneer media solutions to humanitarian and social issues which Syrians face on a day-to-day basis. It is underpinned by local access, close partnerships, research, and an emphasis on sustainability of impact. Our four programs focus on Youth, Justice and Human Rights, Civilian Protection, and Women Empowerment. In addition, ASML/Syria have significantly increased our International Advocacy efforts by pioneering Virtual Reality technology. The VR experience is more immersive and emotive and, as a result, triggers empathy, the key to effective advocacy. Our videos have attracted worldwide attention and reached key decision makers such as Secretary of State John Kerry.
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http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2016/attacks-hospitals-syria/en/ http://www.dw.com/en/half-of-syrias-school-children-miss-out-on-education/a-19550703 http://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/four-million-people-damascus-have-no-access-water-enar
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OUR PROGRAMS 1/Justice and Human Rights In October 2015, ASML/Syria continued a project around legal systems inside Syria. Justice frameworks inside Syria are largely fragmented, unaccountable, and controlled by armed groups. Local populations lack a basic awareness of their rights and how courts should function so there is little transparency or accountability. It has been demonstrated that a more informed and engaged public makes courts more inclined to adopt sound legal principles and better represent the needs and expectations of local communities. We worked closely with media outlets on the following activities: ▶▶ Court Monitoring – Correspondents and researchers in ASML/Syria’s network gathered information on the courts and providing reports to media outlets. This is improving the way in which journalists are able to report on the key issues which affect audiences. ▶▶ Training – ASML/Syria ran training workshops to help journalists inform their audiences about legal matters. As aspiring journalists, very few understand the complexity of the legal systems. ASML/Syria’s workshops are being run to help the journalists in our network navigate these complexities and provide constructive, wellresearched, and informative information through their newspapers and radio stations. ▶▶ Content Production – ASML/Syria have coordinated the production of print and FM content with partner media outlets. This production ties in with our training programme and court monitoring, ensuring a comprehensive and coherent methodology. ▶▶ A Platform – ASML/Syria have established an online platform through which civilians can access information about their rights and engaging media content which focuses on legal issues. This website can be found at www.justiceforsyria.com.
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ASML/Syria worked with its partners to produce video documentaries, investigative reports, radio programs, news agency wires etc.
3/Women Empowerment ASML/Syria is launching a Women Empowerment initiative which will aim to increase the number of female journalists operating inside Syria and secure more senior positions for them within media outlets.
4/Civilian Protection Syria is facing the worst humanitarian crisis since the Second World War – mass displacement, famine, water shortages, and disease outbreaks are now the norm. The post-war reconstruction process will be unprecedented – infrastructure has been completely destroyed in many areas, leaving communities to fend for themselves. ASML/Syria provide information which helps Syrian civilians cope with these conditions. We give the most vulnerable people regular updates about how to travel from one area to another safely; how to access humanitarian aid; where they can buy food and fuel at affordable prices; which neighbourhoods are safe and which they should avoid; which hospitals in their area have the doctor they need; how they can prevent or self-treat medical problems. ASML/Syria work with networks of informationgatherers and partner with media outlets to deliver accurate information that makes a difference to people’s lives. We are ambitious - we want to provide comprehensive information to the entire country. However, gathering, verifying, and spreading this information is costly and challenging. We are constantly seeking to expand this effort in order to give civilians inside Syria a better life. ASML/Syria have launched this project with a preliminary study which analyses local media consumption and the types of information that people
need most. This report will underpin all activities related to Civilian Protection in 2017.
4/Youth Extremist armed groups are ruthless in their targeting of Syria’s youth so providing a counterbalance is necessary. Children need educational and psychosocial material which will fill the void left by the closure of schools. Through 2016, ASML/Syria has continued its support to the NAI network that started in 2015. The Nai network is a consortium of Syrian youth-focused magazines. Since helping its inception, ASML/Syria has printed and distributed the five magazines and provided capacity building support. The NAI magazine is composed of Tayara Waraq, Zawraq, Zayton wa Zaytonah, Kaws Qozah, and Teen Bal. In early February 2016, ASML/Syria carried out a workshop that gave ASML/Syria the opportunity to facilitate better collaboration between the magazines. Notably, this workshop gave each of the magazines the first opportunity to meet face-to-face as they are all based in different countries. This four-day meeting enabled fruitful discussions about a range of different aspects of their work.
The magazines shared their experiences of working in this space- the workshop enabled them to explore areas in which they could capitalise on their shared aims and skills. Furthermore, ASML/ Syria’s director worked with the participants to gain a clearer understanding of NAI’s core purpose as an organisation. In addition to capacity building, ASML/Syria also printed and distributed almost 200,000 copies of the five magazines in Aleppo, Idlib and Ghouta, Damascus. Considering the terrible conditions in Ghouta, ASML/ Syria are proud to have distributed so many copies in this area of Syria and believe that children there are in great need of the service which the NAI magazines provide. Distribution was carried out in cooperation with 40 schools and educational centres and 6 kindergartens. This ensured that copies reach the targeted audiences. The majority of copies were distributed in Idlib, but almost 20,000 reached Aleppo, and almost 10,000 reach Ghouta. This is due to the security conditions in Aleppo and Ghouta which made it impossible to print consistently. Road closures and attacks on printing centres were key challenges throughout the year.
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INTERNATIONAL ADVOCACY “Syrien n’est fait...”, Syrian Art Festival – Paris Between the 21st and 23rd of July of 2016, ASML/ Syria organized a Syrian Art Festival. The objective of this festival was to show a different face of Syria. Instead of focusing on the war, Daesh, and terrorism, the festival highlighted the country’s dynamic culture. Organisations who participated in the three-day event included Cultural Caravan, Codssy Collective, Souria
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Houria, Revivre, and Syria MDL. The Festival included a range of different events including conferences, film viewings, art exhibitions, lectures, and concerts. Artists and speakers included Farouk Mardam Bey, Manon-Nour Tannous, Amjad Wardeh, and Khalen Abdulwahed.
Virtual Reality ASML/Syria continued to harness the power of Virtual Reality throughout 2016, building upon the success of our 2015 VR film on Jisr al-Shoughour entitled Syria: the Battle for the North. Two VR movies were produced and released in 2016 to critical acclaim. In partnership with UNESCO and SMART, ASML/Syria produced In their Press Vests, a film exposing the risks of being a journalist in Syria. The film aimed to raise international awareness on the issue and help secure more support and protection for journalists. ASML/Syria’s second VR film of 2016 was Nobel’s Nightmare – filmed inside Aleppo, this award-winning
‘reality drama’ takes viewers on a journey with the ‘White Helmets’, Syria’s Civil Defence. The film was made to support the group’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize and reveal the realities which Aleppo’s civilians face on a day-to-day basis. Chamsy Sarkis, the film’s director stated “by virtually witnessing some ordinary scenes of devastation in Aleppo, you may feel so desperate that you understand the international and malign process of radicalization. I think we are inventing something new in media. I like to call it a Reality Drama piece.”
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The film enjoyed considerable international attention and was translated into 11 languages. The film won four awards. Best Shorts Competition
La Jolla, USA
March 2016
Award of Merit: Liberation / Social Justice / Protest
New Media Film Festival
Los Angeles, USA
June 2016
Winner of Virtual Reality Category
IndieFest Film Awards
La Jolla, USA
May 2016
Award of Recognition: Liberation / Social Justice / Protest
Awareness Festival
Los Angeles, USA
6-16 October 2016
Award of Merit
The movie was also selected to 6 more festivals IndieWise Virtual Festival
Miami
August 2016
FIVARS
Toronto, Canada
September 16-18
Underground FIlm Festival
Munich, Germany
September 30th
Prix Bayeux
Bayeux France
3-9 October 2016
Screen 4 All
Paris, France
October 2016
Feel the Reel International Film Festival
Glasgow, UK
November 2016
ASML/Syria’s VR films were shown at major events across the world throughout the year: Event at the Arab World Institute
Paris, France
April 1
World Press Freedom Day
Helsinki, Finland
May 2-4
Difference Day
Bruxelles, Belgium
May 2nd
Humanitarian Summit
Istanbul, Turkey
May 23-24
European Development Days
Bruxelles, Belgium
June 15-16
Global Editors Network
Vienna, Austria
June 15-17
Syrian Cultural festival, « Syrien n’est fait »
Paris, France
July 21-23
Conference on the role of Syrian journalists in the crisis, organized by Skeyes.
Beirut, Lebanon
August 15-16
Aleppo Through the Eyes of its Heroic Citizens, UN General Assembly week, event co-hosted by the Dutch and Italian ministries of foreign affairs
New York, USA
September 22
Shoes Pyramid in three cities organized by Handicap International with ASML/Syria 360° images
Paris, Lyon and Nice France
September 24
Safety of Journalists and Ending Impunity, hosted by the Permanent Mission of to the UN and organized with the UNESCO
UN Headquarters, New York, USA
October 27
Syria: the battle for the North, ASML/Syria’s first VR film was shown at a number of festivals in 2016. FIVARS
Totonto, Canada
September 16-18 2015
Tous écrans
Geneva
November 4-12 2015
Arles
Arles, France
July 4-9 2016
Le forum des images
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November 14-22 2015
Prix Bayeux
Bayeux
October
VRlab à Sunny Side
France
June
VR Asian Doc
Bangkok
October
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