User:Remsec/International Association of Indepenent Journalists Inc.

International Association of Independent Journalists Inc. is a registered not-for-profit journalist association with offices in Toronto, Canada and London, England. The association is international and caters to amateur and professional journalists with advocacy and support services. The International Association of Independent Journalists Inc. is also an Institutional Member of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.

History
The International Association of Independent Journalists was created in October of 2003 by Maurice Ali who was a journalist and writer living in Toronto, Canada. In his book "Protest: The Decline of Civil Disobedience," Maurice Ali noted the emergence of the "citizen journalist" and that the journalist community should be more inclusive of all types of journalists, and this same sentiment became the basis for IAIJ's constitution when incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation on February 12, 2008 (Letters Patent file number: 446727-2). This constitution of inclusion followed most closely, the policies and mandates of the U.N./UNESCO derived from Article 19 of the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The association grew over the years, gained a second office in London, England, and on June 11, 2011 the association became an "Institutional Member" of UNESCO through the Canadian Commission for UNESCO which is located in Ottawa, Canada.

Operations
Membership of the association is in the hundreds with a five person Board of Directors. A general meeting is held each year at the head office in Toronto on February 12. Membership is international and support and services are dispatched through offices in Toronto, Canada, and London, England. The association has a diploma program for self-improvement and also provides editorial material for a newspaper called "The Fortress."

Awards
The International Association of Independent Journalists Inc. has an award called the "IAIJ Award for Journalism" and is presented to journalists who have distinguished themselves in news gathering and investigative reporting.