Al-Rasheed Development Center welcomed Journalists for Human Rights (JHR).

Al-Rasheed Development Center welcomed Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), represented by Ms. Nesreen Abu Sultan, Middle East Program Director, and Mr. Mohammed Al-Basim, Iraq Country Director, in a visit aimed at exploring avenues for joint cooperation to promote press freedoms and strengthen the role of media in defending human rights in Iraq.

The meeting addressed the current state of journalistic work and the challenges facing journalists, particularly regarding their professional safety and the need to ensure a supportive legal and institutional environment for independent media. It also reaffirmed the central role of the media in protecting rights and freedoms, enhancing accountability, and amplifying the voices of marginalized communities in the public sphere.

Both sides emphasized the importance of integrating the efforts of national civil society organizations with specialized international organizations as an effective pathway to support independent journalism, build journalists’ capacities, and strengthen professional and ethical standards of media practice in Iraq.

The meeting was considered a first step toward a practical partnership between the two parties, focused on protection and empowerment, expanding safe spaces for journalists, and developing joint programs that contribute to promoting freedom of expression and reinforcing the media’s role as a fundamental tool in defending human rights and consolidating democratic values.

This meeting comes as part of Al-Rasheed Development Center’s broader direction toward expanding its network of partnerships with international organizations working in the fields of media and human rights, in a way that strengthens its efforts to support a safer and more independent journalistic environment and contributes to Iraq’s democratic reform process.