Date Of Birth
:
 9-9-1999
Location
:
 Amman-Jordan
Raison d’etre
:
 Promoting human rights and democracy through research and documentation
Target
:
 Arab society
 
The Arab Archives Institute (AAI) is a research and documentation center that aims at collecting and carrying out studies and research on human rights in the Arab countries. By establishing an archives system that hosts basic data, information, and analysis on controversial issues in Arab societies, the Institute continues to gather and document material regarding the development of civil society institutions, democratic practices and human rights.
To achieve its objectives in promoting and enhancing media freedoms, transparency and human rights in the Arab society, AAI carries out studies on these themes and holds conferences, local, regional and international. Most studies were pilot studies and all AAI conferences have brought together specialists and experts in these fields from all over the world. In 2006, AAI became a member of IFEX, International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX), as part of its efforts to promote media freedoms and freedom of expression in Jordan and the Arab countries.
AAI Director and Founder is Sa’eda Kilani, a former journalist at the Jordan Times daily and an author of several books on media freedoms.

Jordan Transparency Forum
AAI’s work on transparency started since its very beginnings as it signed an agreement with Transparency International to form a chapter for the movement in Jordan. Several years later, the Jordan Transparency Forum was formed with Basem Sakijha, also prominent columnist in Ad-Dustour daily, as its president.

AAI’s main activities since its establishment:
* AAI organised the first conference on Transparency in Jordan (May-2000) in cooperation with Transprency International. AAI and Transparency representatives had an audience with King Abdullah during the conference.

* Published a book on transparency in Jordan- proccedings of the conference in late 2000 in cooperation with German Technical Cooperation (GTZ-Amman).

* Organised a seminar on transparency in Germany and Middle East- February 2001 in cooperation with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.

* Published a special study on Corruption that was presented in the Netherlands (May-2001)

* Published a report on Corruption in the MENA region as part of the Global Corruption Report of Transparency International (Oct, 2001).

* Published a Book on Press Freedoms in Cooperation with the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network. (May 2002).
The book tackles the situation of press freedoms in Jordan and the relationship between media institutions and the government as well as between journalists and the Jordan Press Association. It is also the fruit of efforts conducted by the author at the European Parliament to lobby to improve the press law of 1998.

* Organised an international conference on Transparency in March-April 2002 at the Hyatt Hotel in cooperation with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and Heinrich Boell.
The conference hosted representative of Arab Chapters of Transparency International. It was hosted under the patronage of HM King Abdullah II and attended by Prime Minister Ali Abul Ragheb. The prime minister supported the Institute’s activities to fight wasta and pledged to introduce a legislation in that regard. The conference tackled transparency in the judiciary, in the media sector and in the executive. The Institute also presented a study on monitoring elections in Jordan.

* Prepared and published the first study of its kind on wasta in Jordan in English and Arabic, (March 2002) in cooperation with the Swiss Agency for Development.
Prepared and published the first study of its kind on “Wasta in Jordan- The Declared Secret” in English and Arabic, (March 2002) in cooperation with the Swiss Agency for Development. Wasta, the use of connections for personal gain, is widespread in the Jordanian society and hits practically every individual. The Wasta book is a follow-up study to an opinion poll the Arab Archives Institute has carried out in May 2000. The book examined the different facets of wasta and proposed ways and means for eliminating it. Several calls by the successive governments of Jordan were made consequently to fight wasta. Prime minister Ali Abul Ragheb pledged in a public speech at AAI conference he would not submit to the use of wasta in his personal and political life.

* Translated and edited into Arabic the latest version of the Transparency International Source Book in cooperation with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and Greater Amman Municipality.

* Organised an international conference on Media Freedoms in the Arab World in December 2003, with partial support from the Canadian Human Security Programme at the Hyatt Hotel in Amman.
The conference gathered prominent journalists and experts from Jordan and the Arab world and recommended the formation of an Arab group to defend and support journalists.

* Study on Arabic Satellite Channels and Human Rights- 2003-2004 in cooperation with the Dutch Embassy.
This project is a study of the experiment of Arabic Satellite Channels in projecting and highlighting freedom of expression, media freedoms and women’s image in general in their programmes, series and news. The book, entitled Freedom Fries: Fried Freedoms also aimed at identifying the role of the satellite channels in changing perceptions/ restoring confidence to Arab media.

* A conference and a study on Access to Information in Jordan June 2005.

The conference hosted experts, journalists and politicians to discuss the law on access to information. The Arab Archives Institute was asked by the Higher media Council a week after the conference to draft suggestions on gaps in the law. AAI recommendations were submitted to the Prime Ministry.
Organised by AAI and Jordan Transparency Forum.

* An international conference on Media Freedoms in the Arab World II in December 2005 and a study on the Jordan Press Association- The Unwritten History. The conference was organized by AAI with the generous support of the Canadian Human Security Programme. The successful event resulted in the formation of the Kalima House (house of the Word) to support independent writers and journalists in the Arab World.
Beginnings can be difficult were it not for genuine support from genuine people. It would not have been easy to achieve these objectives of promoting human rights, democracy, media freedoms and transparency in a volatile environment without sincere and unwavering commitment and support of great people such as Farouq Kilani, fr. Head of the Judiciary Council in Jordan, Fayaz Manji, Deputy Director of Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force (START)- Foreign Affairs Canada, Dr. Paul Pasch, fr. Director of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Dr. Nabil Sharif, chief editor of Ad-Dustour daily and HE Rolf Bodenmuller, fr. Swiss Ambassador to Jordan.