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Syrian Kurdish Journalist Network Calls for Independent, Unbiased, and Professional Media

Syrian Kurdish Journalist Network Calls for Independent, Unbiased, and Professional Media
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Syrian Kurdish Journalist Network Calls for Independent, Unbiased, and Professional Media

Syrian Kurdish Journalist Network Calls for Independent, Unbiased, and Professional Media

After the spring of 2011, the political and media landscape changed in Syria. Opposition and independent journalists established alternative media networks to challenge the state’s official media’s narrative. The Syrian Kurds got some breathing room and managed to establish a local media infrastructure and form professional syndicates to represent them, one of which is the Syrian Kurdish Journalist Network, established in early March 2012 in the city of Qamishli in the far northeast...

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, the Network’s president, Salwa Suleiman, said that they aim to support media professionals and institutions in the country’s Kurdish region, spreading across the northeast of the country. Hibar Othman, the Network’s CEO, mentioned that they had organized three digital activities since the COVID-19 began to spread. Held on Zoom, these activities were organized in collaboration with Free Press Unlimited, and there are plans to establish a training center.

Ali Nimer, the director of the “Violations Documenting Center”, emphasized that the region east of the Euphrates remains the safest place for journalists. Conditions are better than those in government-controlled areas, the areas under the control of the extremist group “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” (Organization for the Liberation of the Levan) and the territory controlled by armed factions in northwestern Syria. The Network considers itself an independent media regulatory body and includes 80 professional journalists working inside and outside Syria.

According to Suleiman, “the Network monitors hate speech and works against misinformation”, by empowering members professionally and advocating for rights of media professionals. With Dutch organization Free Press Unlimited’s support and media experts’ management, the Network has developed its capacities and administrative structure.

She adds: “We aspire to function as an institution, coordinate with all Kurdish and Syrian groups efforts to monitor and document all the violations perpetrated against media professionals and media organizations throughout Syria.” The Network defends the rights and freedoms of journalists from arbitrary punishment or persecution because of their opinions. It has demanded that the authorities of the Autonomous Administration and institutions of civil governance do not conceal information about the dangers of Covid-19.

There are three media unions among the Kurds of Syria. In addition to the Network, there is the Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate, which is based in Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, and the Free Media Union, which is close to the Autonomous Administration authorities who manage the region east of the Euphrates.

Amid the unprecedented challenges facing journalists, Hibar Othman says that over the past year, the Network has managed to garner the trust of many international organizations and has become a key partner for many media organizations that monitor and highlight the military factions’ violations. This has helped them organize workshops and expand the scope of their work.

In a country considered a “media blackspot” by Reporters Without Border, the Network has identified 39 violations over the past year. They recorded four fatalities and fourteen injuries when Turkish army air forces targeted journalists in October last year, as well as four cases of journalists receiving threats and being attacked, two journalists being banned from working, and three arrested. The fate of the Kurdish journalist Farhad Hamo, a correspondent for the Kurdish channel Rudaw, is still obscure.

According to Ai Nimer, the Network documentation mechanism and work methodology work on three steps: “We receive information about violations from Network members, human rights centers, the media, and volunteers who provide us with information .” The second step is verifying the validity of the claims by gathering more information... “Then a statement or report is written and put before the administrative body for discussion, and we reach out to international organizations and concerned authorities.”

The Office aims to document all violations against Kurdish journalists in Syria, particularly against Syrian media professionals working in northeastern Syria in general, except for those working with extremist organizations.

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FAO Official: Gulf States Shielded Themselves from Major Shocks

David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
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FAO Official: Gulf States Shielded Themselves from Major Shocks

David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told Asharq al-Awsat that global hunger increased sharply during the coronavirus pandemic, noting that the GCC countries were able to shield themselves from major shocks affecting food security.
Laborde added that global hunger affected over 152 million people, with no improvement in the past two years.
Today, 733 million people suffer from chronic hunger, and 2.3 billion face food insecurity, according to the UN annual report on “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World.”

Laborde explained that the global economic crisis has worsened food insecurity, keeping hunger levels high.
Alongside this, climate shocks and conflicts are major causes of hunger. He also pointed out that food insecurity is closely tied to inequality, and the economic crisis, rising living costs, and high interest rates are deepening existing inequalities both within and between countries.
On whether economic diversification in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is boosting food security, Laborde said: “A move towards a more diversified economy and enhancing the ability to rely on various sources of food supplies are key drivers of food security resilience and stability.”
“GCC countries have managed to shield themselves from major shocks, primarily due to their high income levels and ability to cover import costs without difficulty,” he explained.
Regarding the FAO’s outlook on reducing global hunger, Laborde insisted that ending hunger will require a significant increase in funding.
When asked for suggestions on how governments could enhance food security, Laborde said: “Despite global figures remaining stable, improvements are seen in Asia and Latin America, showing that the right policies and conditions can reduce numbers.”
“Hunger is not inevitable. Investing in social safety nets to protect the poor, along with making structural changes to food systems to be more environmentally friendly, resilient, and equitable, is the right path forward,” emphasized Laborde.
The annual State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, published on Wednesday, said about 733 million people faced hunger in 2023 – one in 11 people globally and one in five in Africa.
Hunger and food insecurity present critical challenges affecting millions globally.
The annual report, released this year during the G20 Global Alliance for Hunger and Poverty Task Force ministerial meeting in Brazil, warns that the world is significantly lagging in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2—ending hunger by 2030.
It highlights that global progress has regressed by 15 years, with malnutrition levels comparable to those seen in 2008-2009.
Despite some progress in areas like stunting and exclusive breastfeeding, a troubling number of people still face food insecurity and malnutrition, with global hunger levels rising.