PARIS: On 6th May, 2026 (third day) of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)’s Centenary World Congress, being held here (from 4-7 May), Peruvian journalist Zuliana Lainez Otero [president of the Asociación Nacional de Periodistas del Perú (ANP)] was elected as the new President of IFJ, for a three-year term (2026-2029).
Zuliana Lainez Otero is the first woman from Latin America and the Caribbean to lead IFJ, the world’s largest organisation of journalists. It is pertinent to mention here that the elections were held during once-in-a-century event celebrating 100 years of the foundation of IFJ. Zuliana Lainez Otero succeeded Dominique Pradalié.
PARIS: G.M. Jamali (Member at Large, The Federation of Asia Pacific Journalists (FAPaJ), IFJ) seen presenting hand-block printed Ajrak (depicting 5000-year-old tradition of the Province of Sindh) to out going IFJ president Dominique Pradalié (SNJ-France), who had led the Federation for the previous four years. IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger is also seen on the left wearing Sindhi Ajrak and Taupi.
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PARIS: Members of PFUJ delegation presented a souvenir, depicting Pakistani culture to Nasser Abu Bakr (who represents The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate that was elected IFJ Vice President).
PARIS: Jim Boumelha (who stepped down as IFJ treasurer at the World Congress held here) was presented Sindhi Ajrak and Taupi by G.M. Jamali [Member at Large, The Federation of Asia Pacific Journalists (FAPaJ), IFJ].
PARIS: Director IFJ, Jane Worthington, snapped with the members of PFUJ delegation.
Zuliana Lainez Otero (Lima, 1977) is also the vice president of the Federation of Journalists of Latin America and the Caribbean (FePALC) and a former senior vice president of the IFJ. After serving on the IFJ’s Executive Committee for 16 years, Lainez succeeded Dominique Pradalié (SNJ-France), who had led the Federation for the previous four years. She is the third woman president of the IFJ in its 100-year history, after French journalist Pradalié (2022-2026) and Belgian journalist Mia Doornaert (1986-1992).
A Peruvian journalist and a trade union leader, Lainez works as Opinion Editor at the online newspaper Crónica Viva and as Editor of International News at ANP Radio. She is also a lecturer in press law and the right to information.
Alongside her journalism career, Lainez has been involved in the trade union movement since completing her studies at the Jaime Bausate y Meza University School of Journalism in Lima. She joined the ANP upon graduating and has since held various positions within the union, including as a grassroots activist, presidency of the ANP in Lima and general secretary. In 2021, she became the first woman to hold the ANP’s presidency in its 97-year history.
Her election marks a milestone in the representation of the Global South within international governance structures, and it recognises Lainez’s long-standing dedication to defending labour rights, advocating for the safety of journalists and promoting freedom of expression
The newly elected IFJ President Zuliana Lainez, said: “We are in a challenging period for journalism around the world. In recent years, we have seen a staggering number of journalists killed in Palestine, Ukraine, Lebanon, Sudan and Latin America, which is unprecedented in history. The levels of impunity for these crimes are also unprecedented. As a global organisation, it is our duty to ensure that these crimes are prosecuted in international courts.”
“It is historic that Latin America should be at the helm of a world federation on the centenary of its foundation. This moment has taken a hundred years of the organisation’s history to arrive, and now it is our continent’s turn. I have made it clear that we are not electing a president here; we are electing a person to lead a team […] We Latin Americans, like many of our colleagues from the South, know what it means to resist and fight. This history haunts us, but it is also a driving force in facing today’s challenges.”
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M. M. Alam is a Pakistan-based working journalist since 1981. Karachi University faculty gold medalist Alam began his career forty-five years ago by writing for Dawn, Pakistan’s highest circulating English daily. He has worked for region’s leading publications, global aviation periodicals including Rotors (of USA) and vetted New York Times as permanent employee of daily Express Tribune. Alam regularly covers international aviation and defense-related events including Salon Du Bourget (France), Farnborough (United Kingdom), Dubai (UAE). Alam has reported thousands of events and interviewed hundreds of people in Pakistan, UAE, EU, UK and USA. Being Francophone Alam also coordinates with a number of French publications.
