2016 Overview – As we reflect on 2016, is with great pride and pleasure that I present the organization’s current year report and vision for the coming year.
I am pleased to share that NUFDI continues to be a factor in promoting human rights and democracy in Iran, thanks to your loyal and generous support.
2016 was another successful year for NUFDI; we made considerable progress in organizing our structure, reassessing our website, and acquiring new and advanced technology for communicating with our compatriots inside and outside Iran.
We also installed a module in our website, which not only allows us to accept one-time donations, but also to accept monthly donations, giving us a better understating on our budgeting.
Throughout 2016, as in years past, the current US administration continued to appease and make deals with the IR on the nuclear agreement in which many parts were covert. As a part of the agreement $150 billion that was sanctioned was released to the IR. Additionally, they received $1.7 billion in cold cash in the middle of the night that it seemed to be the trade off in order to get the four Iranian American hostages released.
Islamic Republic has acted in ways that disappointed and angered most Iranians and lawmakers around the world – those willing to recognize the tyrannical and oppressive nature of the Islamic Republic in Iran.
According to the Iranian Defense Ministry, Iran successfully tested Emad, a long-range ballistic surface-to-surface missile last Sunday in an undisclosed location, which is a violation of existing U.N. Security Council resolutions that prohibit Iran from testing ballistic missiles of this range. Emad has an approximate range of 1,700 km (1,060 miles), can come within 500 meters (1,650 feet) of accuracy, and has a 750 kg (1,653 pound) payload primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery. This testing occurred just months after the nuclear agreement that President Obama, Secretary Kerry, and most Democrats are so proud of.
Some Iranians believed that this agreement and other clandestine deals would lead to the betterment of their lives, Iran’s economy remains in shambles and everything is more or less dormant.
The currency exchange rate has actually risen, increasing from 3200 tomans to 3600 tomans per dollar. Do we not all miss the 0.67 dollar exchange rates from before that regretful revolution?
Of course the wave of executions continues under Rouhani’s administration and it seems to be a current event and it is part of people’s life, with numbers that exceed those witnessed during the Ahmadinejad administration.
However, we have tried to remain focused on our ultimate goal: the promotion of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. We have sought to develop new ideas for engaging the people in Iran and we have worked to raise awareness of the true nature of the Islamic Republic within the international community.
Our honorary chair, HIH Reza Pahlavi, has been most active in drawing global attention to the plight of the Iranian people and their unwavering desire to better their lives. HIH has traveled across the United States, to hold meetings with our compatriots and to attend fund-raising events to support our cause. HIH has dedicated his time to meeting with various foreign nationals and conducting numerous interviews. He graciously accepted an invitation from Council on Foreign Relations in Dallas to meet with number of successful people and lawmakers. He shared his views regarding investment in Iran after the nuclear deal was signed. He also had an interview with Dallas Morning News. In Washington he addressed the media at the Carnegie Foundation calling for the defense of human rights and political liberty. Our local chapter continued their effort on Capitol Hill, met with local think tank scholars, and had many Round table meetings with young activists
What has inspired, and continues to fuel our activities, is our firm belief in the strategy of civil disobedience and nonviolent political resistance in pursuit of a democratic transition from a theocratic and medieval state to a modern and democratic state, which represents, and is equally committed to, all Iranians, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or political views, as decreed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as stated in our mission statement.
2017 Outlook – with a change in administration, our goal for the coming year is to expand operations and attract more supporters to the organization. Our board of directors has approved a business plan for additional work and funding. The reality is that our country’s freedom is a national project and requires the participation of all Iranians.
Our goal should always be to amplify our countrymen voices around the world.
We will continue to adopt monthly conferences to discuss matters that are important to all of us as Iranians. We also plan on being more active in bringing our compatriots’ voices to people around the globe. We will organize a few fund-raising events in major cities to help support these efforts. We are currently working on number of events and gatherings across the United States for the couple quarters of 2016, but none can be realized without your financial and moral support, which we greatly appreciate and value. Your generous donation will help us in our continued success and ability to hire and retain exceptional professionals. Your participation at any level will be much appreciated. I urge you to visit our site and register to be informed. You can donate online or send your contributions directly to the following address:
NUFDI
P.O. Box 60317
Potomac, MD 20859-0317
As you might know, my two-year term as the President and Chairman of NUFDI is over at the end of this year and I am grateful to the board for putting their trust in me for the last two years. It has been a privilege. Unless I am re-elected by the board, I am confident that the new chair will adopt the same philosophy going forward.
We all believe trust and transparency are the most critical elements to any organization’s ability to succeed. We have sought to build trust and demonstrate transparency from the inception of our activities until the present day.
As I prepare for our ,,,, next year, I want to thank you for your partnership in our shared progress. It has been my great honor and privilege to serve as president and CEO of this great organization, whose dedicated donors understand the power of generosity in bringing democracy and human rights in Iran. On behalf of our Board of Directors, dedicated volunteers and staff, I offer our sincere gratitude and best wishes for a happy and healthy new year.
Thank you again and best wishes to you and your family.
Sincerely,
Dr. Saeed Ganji
President & Chairman
National Union For Democracy in Iran