Reham Al-Farra

Reham Al-Farra (1974 – 2003) was a Jordanian diplomat and Journalist who was murdered in the Canal Hotel bombing in 2003. Only aged 29 when killed, she served as a Minister of Public Information and for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.^[1]

Early life and education

Reham was born in Kuwait, graduated from Faculty of Mass Communications in Yarmouk University.

Career

Reham worked as a journalist at Shihan weekly newspaper and later became the editor of the same. She was the youngest Columnist in Jordan to write a daily column in Al-Arab Al-Yawm for 4 consecutive years.^[2]

In 2002, Reham joined the United Nations Department of Public Information and was nominated later as an Arabic spokesperson for the UN operations in Iraq. She had also been active at the Center for Defending Freedom of Journalists

Death

Reham Al-Farra of Jordan was 29 years old when she died along with other United Nations staff members in the terrorist Canal Hotel bombing of the UN Headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq on 19 August 2003.

Honours

In September 2003, the UN Department of Public Information decided to rename its annual training programme for young journalists “The Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalists' Fellowship Programme” in memory of her.^[3]

On 19 September 2003, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan paid tribute to Ms. Al-Farra during a memorial ceremony for those killed in Baghdad: “You chose to work for the United Nations because you wanted to do something for others," Mr. Annan said. "You went to Iraq to make a contribution to the lives of your Arab brothers and sisters. It is their loss as much as ours that you were denied the chance to do that".

References