Tuesday, October 27, 2026, marks “World Day for Audiovisual Heritage”—an international observance established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The day is dedicated to safeguarding human memory and preserving audio, visual, and cinematic recordings, which serve as living testimony to the history of peoples and the identity of societies.
On this occasion, the Syrian Future Movement highlights the profound human and civilizational significance of this day. Audiovisual heritage acts as a record of truth and a bridge connecting generations; it is a tool for peoples to protect their historical narratives from distortion or oblivion, while ensuring a society’s right to justice and a collective national memory.
The vision of the Syrian Future Movement is founded upon four essential pillars, which it deems vital for shaping a new Syrian identity:
First, Civility: Building a state governed by the rule of law and strong institutions, characterized by the separation of powers and the protection of equal citizenship rights, free from any form of discrimination.
Second, Politics: Implementing genuine pluralism and the peaceful transition of power through the ballot box.
Third, Humanity: Placing the dignity and fundamental rights of the Syrian citizen at the core—as both the primary driver and the ultimate goal—of all public endeavor.
Fourth, Civilization: Restoring Syria’s pioneering role as a crossroads of cultures and a contributor to human knowledge, while protecting its unique cultural heritage from destruction, looting, and historical erasure.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that Syria—its people, its land, and its history—has paid an exorbitant price, a toll that has even extended to its documented heritage. Reports and statistics from human rights organizations and the United Nations—updated as of 2026—highlight the scale of the catastrophe that has befallen Syria’s cultural heritage. International organizations have documented the damage to or destruction of hundreds of cultural, archival, and broadcasting centers. Approximately 60% of the national historical audiovisual archive has been lost or damaged due to systematic bombardment and looting. Furthermore, thousands of skilled professionals and experts in documentation, cinema, media, and sound engineering have been forced to emigrate. Additionally, thousands of hours of visual and audio material—documenting both the contemporary Syrian civil movement and decades of authoritarian rule—are now at risk of technological decay or digital loss, unless urgent rescue and digitization efforts are undertaken.
Born from the great Syrian revolution, which demanded freedom and dignity, and acting upon our national and political responsibility during this critical transitional phase for our country, the Syrian Future Movement (Tayyar al-Mustaqbal al-Suri) puts forward the following recommendations:
Establish the “Syrian National Authority for the Preservation of Memory and Digital Archives” as an independent body during the transitional period. This authority would be tasked with collecting, monitoring, and digitizing all documents and audiovisual recordings that chronicle Syria’s modern and ancient history, while safeguarding them against political manipulation.
Launch a unified digital platform dedicated to the heritage of the Syrian revolution and the civil movement. This platform would document the testimonies of victims, as well as visual and audio recordings of peaceful demonstrations and civil activities, serving as an integral component of the transitional justice process and ensuring the preservation of the authentic narrative of the Syrian people. Enacting transitional legislation that guarantees freedom of access to information and makes the national audiovisual archive available to researchers, media professionals, and citizens—a fundamental step toward dismantling the legacy of information monopolization and building trust between society and the state.
Establishing urgent strategic partnerships with UNESCO and major international archives to recover smuggled Syrian heritage materials, and securing technical support for the restoration and preservation of damaged film reels and recordings held within the country.
Integrating a culture of heritage preservation and audiovisual awareness into new Syrian educational curricula to foster values of an inclusive civic identity, and to treat cultural heritage as a force for national cohesion that rejects exclusion and marginalization.
