Mission & vision
ERIM was founded in 2004, in Lyon, France. Over the past fifteen years we’ve worked in 37 countries, mainly in the Eastern Partnership, Eurasia, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
ERIM is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation with funding support from multiple donors, including the European Union, United Nations, and individual governments.
Goals
To promote human rights and fundamental freedoms and empower citizens so they are better able to access accurate and objective information and critically engage with the media and information they consume.
In order to achieve these global objectives, ERIM works to support and strengthen civil society and independent media organisations so they are more sustainable, resilient and better able to advocate for the respect of democratic principles, fundamental freedoms and human rights. We support them in developing their role and position at local, national and international levels in the definition of public policies.
Our core values
Our work focuses on promoting human rights, good governance and democracy. We do this through supporting and working with activists and civil society organisations directly, by seeking to improve education, strengthen independent media and reduce conflict.
- Freedom of Expression
- The right to education
- Equality for all peoples
- Inclusive/participative and peaceful communities
- Protection and understanding of the rights of the Individual
Meet the team
Mike DE VILLIERS
Viorica PALAMARCIUC
Victoria STEPHENS
Pauline ZANETTI
Siham MORABITE
Céline MARTIN
Sandra SJÖGREN
Yuliya RUZHECHKA
Eliane MARTINEZ
Stela CUDALB
Rachel EHRHART
Nan DONG
Ludivine POULET
Meriem CHARJANE
Tania SCHAAL
Damien BONNAFOUX
Amandine GALIEN
Julia VILHENA
Mouna LTIFI
Evgenia RUDENKO
The board
Mark Whitehouse
ERIM President Mark Whitehouse has more than 20 years of experience in democratic and media development. He has been involved with ERIM since its inception in 2004 serving as its first Secretary/Treasurer.
Abdullahi Ahmed Abdullahi
Board Member Abdullahi Ahmed Abdullahi is Director of KOW Media Corporation (KMC), a Somali-owned media company based in Hargeisa, Somaliland.
Patrick Penot
Board member Patrick Penot lives and works in Lyon, France. He is currently Director of the Lyon-based theatre Festival ‘Sens Interdit’, a festival he co-founded in 2009.
Aleksander Dardeli
Aleksander has held executive and senior management positions with nongovernmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations, and private-sector organizations.
Florence Wady
Florence is a full-time professor and a member of the Institute for Human Rights team at the Catholic University of Lyon. She does not share her picture publicly.
Houda Benmbarek
Houda Benmbarek is a gender and migration specialist with more than 22 years of field and regional experience in women's human rights in North Africa and expertise in migrants’ rights in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the Balkans, and Latin America.
Donors
Agence Française de Développement
Arcus Foundation
Drosos Foundation
EU-Russia Civil Society Forum
EED
European Union
Fondation de France
IFA
Métropole de Lyon
National Endowment for Democracy
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Open Society Foundations
Service Civique
Stefen Batory Foundation
UNDEF
UK CSSF
UNESCO
UNDP
DRL
USAID
U.S. Embassy Tunisia
Ville de Lyon
Partners
Eastern Partnership & Eurasia
- Albany Associates
- BAS TV
- Central Media pentru Tineri
- Euroradio
- Global Forum for Media Development
- Gurdofarid
- Human Rights House Tbilisi
- International Federation of Journalists
- Locals Online
- MediaNet
- Media Support Center Foundation
- Modern Journalism Development Center
- Moldovan Association of Librarians
- Newsmaker
- OWH TV Studio
- Radio Free Europe Moldova
- Ukrainian Women's Fund
- UNESCO
- Ziarul de Garda
Europe
- Canal France International
- Deutsche Welle
- European Humanities University
- East European Center for Democracy
- Global Forum for Media Development
- International Media Support
- Savoir Devenir
- UNESCO
- WAN-IFRA
- FORMA.Azione Srl
- Sofia Development Association
- Centre for Peace, Non Violence and Human Rights
- PRIZMA Foundation
- DZZD “Obuchenie”
- ITET Perugia
- Common Frames
- Karpos
- Next Step
- Aleanca LGBT Community Centre
- Pro LGBT
- CEL Kosova
- Streha Shelter
MENA
- ADALA pour le droit à un procès équitable
- Alternative Media (ATMA)
- Association Initiatives Citoyennes (AIC)
- Article 19 MENA
- Blanquerna School of Communications
- Canal France International (CFI)
- Federation of Arab Journalists
- Forum des Alternatives Maroc (FMAS)
- Forum Marocain des Jeunes Journalistes (FMJJ)
- Foundation Hirondelle
- Global Forum for Media Development
- Go Act
- Jordan Media Institute
- L’Orient-Le Jour
- Nahwa al-Muwatiniya
- UNESCO regional office for Maghreb countries
- WAN-IFRA
- Samir Kassir Foundation
- Union Tunisienne des Médias Associatifs (UTMA)
“Our success has been built on a solid foundation of excellent and lasting partnerships in our key countries of action”
— Mark Whitehouse, ERIM President