2021 Overview:
It is with great pride that I once again share with you our organization’s annual report and our vision for the year ahead.
2021 has been the most productive year for our organization in its history. The credit goes to our team and of course our supporters and donors without whom our work in Washington, DC would not be possible.
Among the most important developments was our move earlier this year into our new office in downtown Washington, DC which we formally opened to our friends and community in the summer. I was thrilled to see the outpouring of support from our friends from coast to coast and I am thankful for their partnership.
This year we introduced the Shiralian and Yazdani fellowships which allowed us to take the unprecedented step to hire eight interns during the summer and fall seasons. These interns, NUFDI Fellows, contributed immensely to our cause. Additionally, the fellowships allowed us to hire the bright and talented Navid Mohebbi as a Policy Fellow. He is a graduate of George Washington University and has allowed us to grow immensely. Furthermore, we sponsored a quarterly publication in Persian called Fereydoun edited and managed by Alireza Kiani. Fereydoun is dedicated to the intellectual discussion of Iran-related issues, especially questions of the future of Iran.
In terms of events, we had a historic forum with the former Secretary of State, the Honorable Mike Pompeo. We also hosted a number of members of Congress including hosting Congressman Dan Crenshaw at our office. Our policy Director, Cameron Khansarinia who has done an excellent job this year, conducted forums with multiple former US policymakers including the Hon. Brian Hook, Deputy NSC Victoria Coates, Len Khodorkovsky, and he continued to develop relations across Washington, DC to promote our cause.
Additionally, we began an important program to reach out to university students and share with them the realities of the human rights abuses in Iran. Reaching the next generation is of critical importance. We also began a book talk series to highlight and engage with Iranian authors. Our first guest was Mr. Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute.
NUFDI also had an excellent year of media relations. We held an international press conference attended by Reuters, Agence France Presse, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and other leading international news outlets at our office with guest of honor HIH Reza Pahlavi to discuss ongoing Iran protests. We produced multiple documentary-style videos on events inside Iran in English to present them to the American audience and break the regime’s propaganda in Washington. Additionally, NUFDI wrote multiple Op-Eds on the movement for freedom and democracy in Iran in some of the world’s most recognized outlets including Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal.
Finally, we relaunched NUFDI’s Iran Uncovered podcast and launched the Iran Uncensored blog to promote human rights in Iran. All of these activities can be viewed on NUFDI’s social media channels, especially @NUFDIran on Twitter, where we have become one of the most-followed Iran accounts.
We remain laser focused on our mission: engaging Iranian-Americans to promote human rights, secular democracy, and the rule of law in Iran. This year, we worked to raise awareness here in Washington, DC regarding the true nature of the Islamic Republic and the aspirations of the Iranian people. Next year, we hope to do even more. As always, I deeply appreciate the dedication of our team, the Board of Directors, Board of Trustees, Board of Advisors, and all of our volunteers who continue to unconditionally advocate for our mission.
2022 vision:
With the limited resources we had in 2021 we were able to accomplish an unprecedented number of programs and become a go-to organization regarding Iran here in Washington. In the year ahead, we will continue down this path but at an even higher and more historic rate of growth. Our goal for the coming year is to expand our presence to include additional regions in the United States with a high concentration of Iranians. Our first satellite office is scheduled to open in Houston, Texas in early 2022, with announcements for other offices to follow. We plan to increase our activities in order to build greater awareness of the growing momentum inside Iran toward change by employing more full-time staff members. We will also continue to support HIH Reza Pahlavi’s vision for a secular democratic Iran.
In early 2022, we have important plans which include a conference to be held on Thursday February 10, 2022 with multiple panels and speakers and a Norooz Gala to be held on Saturday March 12, 2022 for which tickets and tables will soon be available for purchase. We kindly ask that you hold these dates on your calendar and plan to join us in Washington for both.
My personal and humble outlook is that the Islamic Republic is on the verge of collapse given the atrocities it has committed and its low popularity among the Iranian people. We shall do our best to make the American media, politicians, and civil society understand that the best policy for both Iran and America is siding with the Iranian people and supporting their collective desire which is, undoubtedly, the removal of the Islamic Republic.
Finally, I am happy to report that as my term as the chairman of the Board comes to an end, our Board of Directors has unanimously voted Mr. Shahpar Razmzan, who is well respected, an influential member of both our organization and his community of Houston, Texas to serve as the Chairman of the NUFDI Board of Directors. Mr. Razmzan is a seasoned and capable individual who has been a pillar of NUFDI for many years. Additionally, Dr. Ahmad Emmai a renowned physician and community leader in Fresno, California has been voted our Vice Chairman. I have been reappointed as the President of the organization and will resume a role as a voting member of the Board of Directors.
We have always valued your kind moral and financial support, without which we would not be able to achieve our goals. Your generous donations enable us to continue to expand our activities and to hire and retain exceptional professionals. This exciting expansion will allow us to more effectively promote the democratic goals and aspirations of the Iranian people.
The work NUFDI is doing is truly unprecedented and at this historic moment in time, needed more than ever. With your help we will ensure the Iranian people are never ignored again. Each contribution, no matter the amount, is greatly appreciated. You can donate online on our site’s donation page at (www.nufdiran.org/donate) , or by mail addressed to:
NUFDI
P.O. Box 60317
Potomac, MD 20859-0317
Please follow us on Twitter and other social media channels at @NUFDIran.
We 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.
Thank you again and best wishes to you and your family.
Sincerely,
Dr. Saeed Ganji
President & Chairman
NUFDI
PDF Version: 2021 Eex. Summ