ICC AGM 2024 President Report

In this article a summary of ICC activities as presented by Dr. Khadir, the current president will be reviewed. The summary was divided into eight sections:

1. Completing ICC Charter and Fine-Tuning Details
2. Opinion Survey
3. Social Activism
4. Art and Culture
5. Human Rights Activities
6. Communication with Members
7. Workshops for the Community
8. Participation in the Commission to Review External Interference in Canada

Completing ICC Charter and Fine-Tuning Details

Dr. Khadir explained the completion of the ICC’s charter and fine-tuning some of the details in the by-laws. The new charter has clearer guidelines. This task was involved many hours of collaboration with Mr. Zabihioun, Dr. Ghaseminejad, and other volunteers. The final document which was crafted after numerous meetings and consultations resulted in having two different membership definitions; members in good standing are now distinguished from others. Those identified as members in good standing refer to members who actively participate and pay their renewal membership fees. Members in good standing are allowed to vote, while others are not. Another added detail was the requirement for members wishing to terminate their membership to submit a written request.

Opinion Survey

The opinion survey took place at the end of 2023. The summary of the survey indicated the following priorities:

1. Social justice and human rights and improving life quality for members.
2. Importance of ICC publications and information dissemination.
3. Continuing ICC’s informative programs on Clubhouse.
4. Workshops designed to help ICC members with various community needs.

The opinion survey further demonstrated that members continue to press and demand actions from ICC regarding:

1. Opening an Iranian Embassy in Canada.
2. Taking an active role in combating discrimination against Iranian students in Canada.
3. Advocating accountability from Canadian politicians on issues concerning the Iranian immigrant community.
4. Cooperating and collaborating with other peace-building and human rights organizations; organizing joint workshops, meetings, and gatherings through joint social activism.

In the last year alone, ICC has issued close to 13 public statements designed to protect the Iranian Diaspora in Canada. These statements were free from political factionalism and were designed to build consensus and solidarity from a human and social perspective against discrimination, in accordance with social justice and peace.

Art and Culture

ICC held a cultural event on March 8th, thanks to Ms. Asoudeh Novin, who organized an online event showcasing Iranian's art from Iran and Canada. Mr. Namdari used these artworks for a New Persian Year calendar as a fundraising effort, which was successful.

Human Rights Activities

Ms. Mona Ghasemi, ICC Vice President, was invited by a Palestinian organization to read a poem by Sepideh Jodeiri as a gesture of solidarity with human rights for the Palestinians and requesting ceasefire.

In line with 269 peace & community organizations in Canada and the global demand for peace and ceasefire, ICC issued a statement. This was followed by Ms. Ghasemi’s 50-day hunger strike in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Outreach Activities

As a way of mobilizing support for ICC, Dr. Khadir and Mona Ghassemi participated in a New Year bazaar with 11,000 participants.

Dr. Ghaseminejad, Dr. Tarani and Ms. Asoudeh Novin held several Clubhouse discussion groups. The themes of these meetings included ICC's background, the impact of sanctions on the Iranian Diaspora in Canada, challenges faced by Iranian students in Canada, the impact of mainstream and social media on the Iranian Diaspora, issues related to peace, and matters concerning the lives of Iranian Canadians. Other topics included the violation of the Geneva Convention by Israel and its consequences for Iranian Canadians and the prevention of foreign intervention in Canadian politics.

Workshops for the Community

Many members have appreciated Ms.Mona Borgheie’s workshops providing information on various topics ranging from sociology and anthropology (the latter by Mr. Danial Sarvestani) to mental health and immigration (by Dr. Raheleh Tarani). These online live workshops on Instagram have been consistently offered over 24 sessions. Educational tools such as the one on resisting online harassement and the role of media on suicide news, based on teaching tools developed by the United Nations and other international organizations, have been well received.

Participation in the Commission to Review External Interference in Canada

Members have expressed their appreciation for ICC taking the initiative in joining the commission to review foreign interference in Canada. This has been particularly important for ICC members, since other Iranian Canadian organizations had been represented whose position on the matter differed from those of ICC members. The news was well received by members at large as they were pleased that their views were voiced through ICC.

The report of the treasurer of the Iranian Canadian Congress, Mr. Mohammad Vahidi Rad:

The accounting report of the Iranian Canadian Congress was presented to the general assembly by Mrs. Nahid Nasiri.

The election results of changes to the Bylaws and the new board of directors:
At the end, Habib Ghaffari from the Election Committee presented the results of the board of directors elections and changes to the statutes to the assembly:

ICC Annual General Meeting AGM 2023 Recording

ویدیوی کامل جلسه مجمع عمومی سال 2023 کنگره ایرانیان کانادا

https://youtu.be/z5dUxx46By0

The election committee announced the following new Board of directors have been elected for a period of two years: 

1. Ms. Mona Borghei
2. Mr. Amirhassan Ghasseminejad-Tafreshi
3. Ms.Mona Ghassemi
4. Ms.Arezou Khadir
5. Ms. Asoudeh Novin
6. Ms. Raheleh Tarani
7. Mr. Mohammad VahidiRad

دکتر مسلم نوری، ریاست کنگره ایرانیان کانادا، در ابتدای جلسه اعلام کرد بیش از 50 % اعضا در انتخابات اینترنتی کنگره شرکت کرده‌اند و بدین ترتیب حد نصاب لازم حاصل شده است.

ویدیوی کامل گزارش ریاست کنگره ایرانیان کانادا در مجمع عمومی ژانویه 2022

The President of Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC), Dr. Moslem Noori, began the AGM session by declaring the quorum has been reached with more than 50% of members voted in the online election.  

Full video of President's report at ICC Annual General Meeting January 2022