VISION
SCM's vision is for a world based on freedom, justice and equality that respects personal dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms.
WHO WE ARE
The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) is an independent, non-governmental and non-profit organization registered in France in 2004. It is governed by a non-remunerated board. It has held UN ECOSOC consultative
Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) is an independent non-governmental non-profit organization. We seek to build a society that guarantees freedom of expression and belief, human rights and justice. Our vision is a democratic world based on justice, freedom, equality and respect for human rights and dignity.
Since establishment in 2004, we work to defend oppressed individuals due to their beliefs or opinions, as well as promoting human rights and supporting and developing independent, critical and professional media. SCM is in special consultative status with UN ECOSOC since 2011.
MISSION
SCM will achieve this vision by ensuring that human rights and fundamental freedoms are protected and fully respected, that a process of truth, justice and accountability is delivered, and that freedom is guaranteed. By becoming a trusted and recognized force for good and demonstrably improving human rights and fundamental freedoms for the people affected by the Syrian conflict, the organization can engage in an effective process to ensure peace and stability.
VALUES
SCM's work to achieve a world that respects human rights and dignity is based on credibility, integrity, justice, freedom and equity. The organization's tools are professionalism, independence and transparency. It believes that partnership and cooperation are the best ways to achieve goals and that, on every level, diversity is a value and an end in itself.
OBJECTIVES
- To contribute to and develop mechanisms to ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law, to combat impunity and to bring the perpetrators of all human rights abuses to justice by holding them accountable for their crimes. To document human rights violations as part of an effective transitional justice process and thus enable victims from all sides to achieve justice as a way of establishing sustainable peace in Syria.
- To strengthen freedom of expression and belief by protecting and increasing journalistic integrity and professionalism and ensuring other media actors conform to these recognized principles. To monitor and improve the quality and relevance of media performance in accordance with the needs of a democratic society for accurate, professional, objective information that is free from violent and hate speech. To promote the converting of media from a tool of war and propaganda to a tool for peace.
- To encourage and enhance democratic and civic participation among civil society actors to enable them to champion human rights mechanisms, equality and sustainable peace in Syria, by acting as a bridge between all sectors of society in order to provide inclusive, civic solutions to the challenges facing democracy.
STRUCTURE
SCM is headed by a Board of Directors (BOD), the organization's governing body that oversees its operations and activities and helps define its strategic direction. It meets three times a year.
The structure of SCM was designed using the functional structure method, which can apply to traditional non-profit organizations, as SCM operates and has employees in several geographical locations working with various SCM departments. SCM groups employees on the basis of specialty and function, not geographical location. The structure shows the line of reporting and chain of command, using a top-down approach.
Directly below the BOD, in terms of line management, all operational departments report directly to the General Director (GD) who is responsible for all SCM Operations and Programs.
By the end of 2019, SCM had approximately 118 employees (including 39 volunteers), in the following countries: Syria 38, Turkey 25, Europe 44, MENA 8 and North America 3