NEW YORK, NY -- The Chairman and Board of Directors of the International Trachoma Initiative are pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Ibrahim Jabr as its President. The appointment as Interim President became effective May 1, 2007, and President as of December 2007.

Mr. Jabr joined ITI in January 2005 as its Vice President for Programs. Since that time he has taken a major role in guiding the work of ITI. He was a key player during the 2005 strategic planning process and has led the effort to expand the SAFE strategy into key countries. Working with governments and other NGOs, he has built partnerships committed to eliminating blinding trachoma by 2020. Throughout his work at ITI, he has stressed the need for result-oriented management of programs.

Prior to joining ITI, Mr. Jabr spent 29 years with UNICEF. He was directly responsible for program planning, implementation & monitoring while posted in Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. He worked in UNICEF-HQ in New York during 1987-1994 as Senior Program Officer in the Evaluation Office and later as Senior Program Officer in the Geographic section. Mr. Jabr assumed more senior responsibilities, starting in 1995, as UNICEF's Representative in Iran, then in D.R. Congo, Ethiopia and Pakistan. He retired after his Pakistan posting.

Mr. Jabr has extensive experience in the area of child health development. He has worked with and overseen programs that use mass action and social mobilization as strategies for dealing with this important field.

Mr. Jabr is fluent in Arabic, English and French, and has basic knowledge of Spanish, Farsi and Amharic. He has a strong commitment to development issues as demonstrated by a long and successful career.

About the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI)

ITI is dedicated to eliminating blinding trachoma, the world's leading cause of preventable blindness. To combat the disease, ITI deploys the SAFE strategy:
. Surgery to correct advanced stages of the disease
. Antibiotics to treat active infection, using Zithromax donated by Pfizer Inc
. Facial cleanliness to reduce disease transmission
. Environmental change to increase access to clean water and improved sanitation to eliminate disease altogether

The International Trachoma Initiative is a charitable organization exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(a) of the US Internal Revenue Code as an organization described in section 501(c)(3)

ITI Communications Contact

Tel: 212 490-6460 ext. 16 Fax: 212 490-6461
E-mail: communications@trachoma.org

International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) . 441 Lexington Avenue, 11th Floor . New York, NY 10017 . USA


About the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI)

ITI is dedicated to eliminating blinding trachoma, the world's leading cause of preventable blindness. To combat the disease, ITI deploys the SAFE strategy: . Surgery to correct advanced stages of the disease . Antibiotics to treat active infection, using Zithromax donated by Pfizer Inc . Facial cleanliness to reduce disease transmission . Environmental change to increase access to clean water and improved sanitation to eliminate disease altogether
The International Trachoma Initiative is a charitable organization exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(a) of the US Internal Revenue Code as an organization described in section 501(c)(3)


ITI Communications Contact Tel: 212 490-6460 ext. 16 Fax: 212 490-6461 E-mail: communications@trachoma.org


International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) . 441 Lexington Avenue, 11th Floor . New York, NY 10017 . USA