Formation of a New Board of Directors:
Samir Al-Rifai is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Center for Defending Freedom of Journalists
Center for Defending Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ) has formed a new Board of Directors (BoDs), headed by His Excellency Mr. Samir Al-Rifai, effective January 1, 2025.
CDFJ announced that “His Excellency Samir Al-Rifai, former Prime Minister of Jordan and Vice President of the Senate, has agreed to chair CDFJ’s BoDs. The new BoDs includes: Ms. Dina Al-Basheer a Member of Parliament and a Lawyer, Mr. Abdul Basit Al-Kabariti Member of Parliament, Dr. Omar Mashhour Al-Jazi, Managing Partner of “Al-Jazi & Partners Law Firm and Legal Consultants”, Ms. Dana Al-Sayegh, a media practitioner and the former Executive Director of Al-Mamlaka TV, and Ms. Wajeeha Al-Husseini, former Brand & Corporate Communications Director at Umniah.
CDFJ explained that the BoDs was not fully changed and a couple of members continued and completed the membership of the new BoDs. Those members are: Ms. Suzanne Afana, former Minister of Tourism and partner in Advvise Company, Mr. Mohammed Al-Saqr, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Extensia Company, and former CEO of Zain Company, Mr. Abdul Wahab Zaghilat, Chairman of the Freedoms Committee in the Arab Journalists Union, and former Editor-in-Chief of Al-Rai Newspaper, Mr. Mohammed Qutiasaht, a lawyer and expert in media issues, and former Director of the Media Commission, in addition to Mr. Nidal Mansour, a media practitioner and the founder of the Center for Defending Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ). This completes the BoDs, which includes a group of public figures and consists of 11 members.
CDFJ expressed its thanks and appreciation for the efforts made by the former Chairman and members of the BoDs who submitted their resignations, most notably the former Prime Minister H.E Mr. Taher Al-Masri, and Dr. Mohammad Al-Momani , the Minister of State for Government Communication, Mr. Fares Al-Sayegh, Executive Director of Roya TV, Ms. Hadeel Abdul Aziz, Executive Director of the Justice Center for Legal Aid, Mr. Tarek Al-Bitar, Director of Corporate Communications, Sustainability and Innovation department at Zain Jordan, and Ms. Sawsan Gharaibeh, Regional Advisor in the field of climate change, gender equality and social inclusion.
The Chairman of the BoDs of CDFJ, H.E Mr. Samir Al-Rifai, stressed that the Center will continue its efforts to develop the reality of the media, and will be keen on networking and strengthening its relations with all parties to support media freedom and improve Jordan’s image in international indicators.
Al-Rifai said, “for over 25 years, CDFJ has left a positive impact on developing the media and defending the freedom of journalists. The Center has established a regional and international role and has become a reliable reference in assessing the state of the media.” He also stressed that the BoDs will continue to provide support and assistance to CDFJ’s executive management team to complete its work with complete independence, and seeking to help it provide resources to continue its programmes, which enhances its leadership in Jordan and the Arab world.
The founder of CDFJ Mr. Nidal Mansour, welcomed the new chairman and members of the BoDs who will provide assistance in developing policies, enhancing governance in the Center’s work, supporting it in communicating with decision-makers, and supporting the independence of its work. Mr. Mansour expressed his thanks to the former Chairman and members of the BoDs who resigned after years of supportive work for the Center, stressing that CDFJ after more than 25 years of its work, is reviewing and evaluating its journey and the challenges it faces, and documenting the success stories it has achieved and is proud of these stories.
Mr. Mansour also thanked all former CDFJ’s employees, as they worked and supported its role, and played a fundamental role in its success over the past years, calling on the current team to exert more effort to overcome crises, challenges and to move forward.
CDFJ stated that the BoDs is considered the highest authority at CDFJ, and its membership consists of public figures, and those with expertise in the media field, and/or the fields of human rights, public work, and civil society. In addition, the BoDs is responsible for adopting policies and initiatives that ensure that the Centre is active in defending freedom of the media and expression, and preserving the rights of journalists. Whereas among its most prominent tasks are: discussing the general policies that regulate its work, proposing plans and policies that would advance its role and enhance its presence nationally, regionally and internationally, providing guidance to the executive management regarding the course of its policies, general orientations, funding opportunities, partnerships and cooperation, discussing and approving the center’s general budget, and consolidating the values of governance and transparency in its practices and management.
It is important to mention that CDFJ was granted a membership in the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in recognition of its status and role as a civil society organization that has been working for 25 years to support the development and protection of media, defend human rights, and promote sustainable development.
Lastly, CDFJ announced that its strategy (2022-2025), which is nearing completion, has had important results and qualitative success stories. The Center has expanded the target groups of its programs and projects, in addition to developing its productions of reports and studies, and improving the impact of its activities, noting that the Center will work during 2025 to develop a new strategy for the years (2026-2029).