14 August, 2023, The United Nations granted Center for Defending Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ) special consultative status in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in recognition of its role as a civil society organization that has been working for 25 years in supporting media development, defending human rights, and promoting sustainable development.
Under this special status, CDFJ obtains observer membership, which allows it to attend the sessions of the Human Rights Council, and the right to speak during its sessions.
The special consultative status provides multiple benefits to CDFJ, the most important of which is the appointment of official representatives at the United Nations headquarters in New York, and its offices in Geneva and Vienna, and these representatives can register to participate in events, conferences, and activities of the United Nations.
Special consultative status gives CDFJ the right to appoint authorized representatives to sit as observers in the plenary meetings of the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies. This also applies to the Human Rights Council, and may apply to the General Assembly and other intergovernmental bodies of the United Nations.
Civil society organizations that have the special consultative status are able to submit written statements relevant to the work of the Council on subjects in which these organizations have a special competence. In addition, the special consultative status allows CDFJ -based on the recommendation of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations- to make an oral presentation to the Economic and Social Council, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations has the right to ask organizations that have special consultative status to conduct studies or prepare papers.
Civil society organizations with special consultative status are entitled to use United Nations facilities to organize meetings and conferences, and to facilitate the attendance and participation of other civil society organizations under their umbrella.
According to the special consultative status requirements, CDFJ will be committed to submitting a report on its activities and work every four years.
CDFJ expresses its pride in the confidence bestowed upon it by the United Nations, stressing its keenness to continue its human rights work and to proceed with the implementation of its strategy.
CDFJ’s administration thanked and appreciated the Chairman and members of the Board of Directors, the executive team, and all partners and donors for their support and assistance.
It is worth mentioning that CDFJ was established in Jordan in 1998 as a non-profit civil society organization and operating in the Arab world. CDFJ was licensed in Geneva in 2018, and is registered as a branch of a foreign organization in Tunisia. CDFJ works to promote freedom, professionalism, and independence of the Arab media, defends the preservation of freedom of expression, guarantees the flow of information, and struggles to promote and protect human rights in the Arab world.
Over the past 25 years, CDFJ has implemented many projects and programs under four main pillars, namely: protection, empowerment and capacity building, advocacy and change agent. Through these pillars, CDFJ aims to defend freedoms, provide support and protection for the media, journalists, and human rights defenders, and enhance the professional capabilities of the media and journalists, and call for strengthening and developing the legislative environment – political, social, and cultural- incubating freedom of media, freedom of expression, and civic space. In addition, CDFJ employs its expertise to be a catalyst for change through networking and partnership with civil society organizations and relevant stakeholders, and supporting them in integrating media into their programs and projects.