Under the present regime, Syrian Professionals are denied a strong and independent voice. All their associations, including the Engineers' Association, Bar Association, Medical and Pharmacists Associations have been forcibly taken over by the ruling Ba'th Party. This has limited the extent to which these organizations can actually look after their members' interests. The weakness of these regulatory bodies will also limit the extent to which widespread corruption, nepotism and cronyism can be stamped out in the professions.

Syrian professionals continue to suffer from the general lack of career-minded development. The crippling weakness of the economy caused by decades of outdated command economy policies has kept out modern ideas on career professionalism. This has lead to a general decline in professional standards in all fields as lawyers, engineers, and even doctors exploit their professions for personal gain at the expense of wider ethics and standards.

Young graduates hoping to enter a professional field are badly let down by an education system which does not take into account the job market or the needs of business. Because the economy is in a poor state, the job market is actually quite narrow. Thousands of graduates who would normally be able to find jobs in developed countries will end up joining the ever-increasing ranks of the unemployed.

We in the Movement for Justice and Development promise to give back professional associations back to professionals, and will push for strict codes of conduct and ethics. We will also seek to create Career Centres and to establish links between university departments and businesses.