Establishment of a Media Coordination Platform

Project Information

This assignment falls under the Search project “Trusted Voices: Countering Hate Speech, by strengthening the capacity of media institutions, professionals, and digital communities.

The project prioritises:

Establishing an Early Warning / Early Response (EWER) system.
Strengthening Digital Community Stewards (DCS) as first-line responders to online harm.
Developing constructive, evidence-based communication that supports social cohesion.
Coordinating stakeholders to promote safer, more trustworthy information ecosystems.

Search will collaborate with technical partners to develop conflict-sensitive digital monitoring and narrative-analysis process feeding into the EWER framework. 

Purpose of Assignment

Search for Common Ground is seeking a qualified consultant/consultancy team to design, facilitate, and support the establishment of a media coordination platform in Syria.

The purpose of this assignment is to:

Design, facilitate, and support the establishment of an inclusive, gender-responsive media coordination platform in Syria that actively supports women-led media initiatives, independent media actors, civil society organizations, and institutional stakeholders working to counter hate speech & disinformation.
Build trust, alignment, and shared ownership among platform members through structured, inclusive processes.
Co-develop the platform’s foundational framework, including Vision, Mission, Values, and governance arrangements.
Design practical coordination mechanisms such as working groups and joint pilot initiatives.
Develop clear governance tools and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure sustainability and accountability.
Integrate safeguarding and do-no-harm principles into the platform’s governance and operating model, ensuring safe participation, ethical engagement, and protection of members working in sensitive and high-risk media environments.

Duration of Assignment

The assignment will run for one month, from 15 Feb 2026 to 15 March 2026.
A detailed activity timeline will be agreed during the kick-off and work-planning phase.

Scope of work and Key Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Search project team, the consultant will be responsible for delivering the following components:

1. Foundation and Alignment Phase:

Conduct revision of the recently conducted  stakeholder identification and mapping of media actors, civil society organisations, independent initiatives, and relevant institutions;
Design and facilitate relationship-building convenings (online and/or in-person if feasible) to build trust and alignment among stakeholders;

• Facilitate a participatory process to develop a shared Vision, Mission, and Values for the platform;
• Document the stakeholder map and engagement strategy.

Expected outputs:

• Stakeholder map and engagement plan
• Draft Vision, Mission, and Values document

2. Design and Structuring Phase

• Facilitate participatory sessions to define the platform’s governance and decision-making model.
• Develop a light governance charter outlining:
  -Roles and responsibilities
  -Decision-making mechanisms
  -Accountability and transparency measures
  -Communication pathways
  -Conflict resolution principles
• Support the formation of thematic or functional working groups based on community-identified priorities
• Develop TORs for each working group.

Expected outputs:

• Governance and decision-making framework
• Working group structure and TORs

3. Launch and Sustainability Phase

• Support the public or semi-public launch of the platform as a coordination mechanism
• Establish functional coordination systems, including communication channels, meeting schedules, and documentation tools
• Support the organization and facilitation of two hybrid coordination meetings for platform members
• Develop sustainability recommendations and a forward-looking roadmap, including potential resourcing, institutional anchoring, and partnership models.

Expected outputs:

• A functional coordination mechanism established and operational
• Two hybrid coordination meetings facilitated and documented
• Secretariat function delivered, including: (agenda setting, meeting facilitation, documentation of decisions, follow-up on action points, and coordination with platform members).
• Sustainability recommendations

Project management and coordination

The consultant will:

• Contribute to the development of a concise technical work plan outlining activities, timelines, and inputs.
• Participate in regular coordination meetings with Search.
• Ensure timely submission of all deliverables.
• Document key outputs, lessons learned, and relevant insights to support Search’s reporting and learning processes.
• Ensure that all technical inputs and feedback are documented, verifiable, and aligned with Search’s quality and reporting requirements.

Deliverables

At the end of the consultancy, the consultant is expected to submit:

• Stakeholder map and membership engagement plan
• Final Vision, Mission, and Values document
• Governance and decision-making framework 
• Working group structure and TORs
• Final narrative report documenting methodology, activities, outcomes, and lessons learned
• Final presentation to the Search program team

All deliverables must be submitted in English (Arabic summaries may be requested for selected documents).

Ethical Considerations

The contracted party must ensure all activities are conflict‑sensitive and do no harm. Key considerations include:

Inclusivity: Ensure equitable representation of genders, age groups, and communities; use accessible language and formats (including sign language or subtitles).

safeguarding:Ensure that platform processes, convenings, and communication mechanisms are safe, inclusive, and protective of participants, particularly women, youth, and actors working in high-risk information environments.

Do No Harm: Avoid reinforcing stereotypes or inciting hostility.

Data Protection: Comply with data‑protection laws and ethical standards.

Transparency: Clearly communicate the campaign’s aims and maintain openness with participants and audiences.