International journalist federation relocates MENA office in Morocco

The international federation of journalists (IFJ) has decided to relocate its regional office for the Middle east and North Africa to Morocco.

The decision was made over the week end at a meeting in Berlin of the executive committee of the Brussels-based largest organization of journalists.

The executive committee members explained that the relocation was decided as a recognition to Morocco's vitality in promoting freedom of expression and democracy, particularly reforms to the audio-visual sector with the recent positive evolution in the audio-visual landscape.

According to Younes Mjahed, secretary general of the Moroccan journalist union (SNPM), it is also a tribute to the SNPM's action as a bridge between press unions in the Mediterranean region.

Mjahed is also member of the executive committee of the federation which represents around 500,000 members in more than 100 countries.

The IFJ MENA regional official will be relocated from Algiers, where it was established in 1990 as a sign of solidarity with Algerian journalists.