Our Organization
The Due Diligence Project is led by the Due Diligence Initiative, Inc. (DDI), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to public interest research and advocacy.
Originally founded at Northeastern University School of Law in 2010, the project transitioned to the International Human Rights Initiative, Inc. (IHRI) in 2011. It later became part of the Due Diligence Initiative, Inc., where it continues its mission as a 501(c)(3) organization.
Project Director/Founder
Zarizana Abdul Aziz
Dr. Zarizana Abdul Aziz is a distinguished human rights lawyer. She has been actively involved in legal and policy reform initiatives focused on gender equality, anti-violence legislation, and the training of judges, lawyers, civil society advocates, religious scholars, and government officials in various countries.
Dr. Aziz serves as an expert for several intergovernmental and international organizations and has collaborated with technology industry stakeholders to develop policies, measures, and tools that integrate human rights principles. She has received numerous awards and has been shortlisted multiple times for UN Special Mandate Procedures.
She earned her law degrees from the University of Sydney, Australia (LL.B), and Columbia University, USA (LL.M.), as well as a doctoral degree in Gender Studies from Universiti Sains Malaysia. Dr. Aziz has also taught at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston and George Washington University, USA. Additionally, she has served as a fellow or visiting scholar at several esteemed academic institutions.
President/Founder
Janine Moussa
Janine Moussa is a human rights lawyer specializing in women’s rights and currently serves as a Gender Specialist at the World Bank. Her previous roles include Policy Director at the Global Women’s Institute at George Washington University, as well as positions with the United Nations, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights at the Organization of American States, and International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific—an organization dedicated to advancing the global implementation of women’s human rights.
Ms. Moussa holds a Juris Doctor degree, awarded cum laude, from the Washington College of Law at American University, and an honors Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University.
Director
Nency Salamoun
Nency Salamoun is a director at the Due Diligence Initiative. She first joined the Due Diligence Project as a legal research assistant during law school, conducting research on state accountability for violence against women in the Middle East and North Africa during her internship with a civil society organization in Lebanon. After graduating, she continued her support of the Project, now bringing her expertise to drive its mission forward. Ms Salamoun currently conducts workplace investigations relating to allegations of sexual harassment, discrimination, sexual assault , stalking, domestic violence, and workplace violence.
She is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law.
Director
Margaret-Rose Sales
Margaret-Rose Sales has been a Director at the Due Diligence Initiative since its founding. She is an international trade lawyer with nearly 20 years of experience. Mrs. Sales currently serves as a director and senior counsel for a tech company focusing on global trade and supply chain compliance issues including customs, forced labor, and economic sanctions. Prior to her current role, she was counsel in the international trade practice of an Am Law 200 law firm for over 10 years. Mrs. Sales also has worked in the legal department of the Oneida Indian Nation/Oneida Nation Enterprises and in the Office of International Affairs of US Customs and Border Protection.
Mrs. Sales has a Juris Doctor, awarded cum laude, and a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University.
Advisory Committee
Current
CHARLOTTE BUNCH
American Professor, Founding Director and Senior Scholar.
Center for Women’s Global Leadership, Rutgers University, USA.
Since 2010
KAMALA CHANDRAKIRANA
Indonesian human rights advocate for justice and democracy.
Former United Nations Working Group on Discrimination against Women in Law and Practice.
Since 2010
DUBRAVKA ŠIMONOVIĆ
Croatian jurist and specialist in human rights.
Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women.
Since 2018
* Members of the advisory committee serve in their independent and individual capacities.
Former
PRAMILA PATTEN
A practicing barrister-at-law from Mauritius. Former Expert on the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict.
CORNELIUS (CEES) FLINTERMAN
Professor Emeritus of International and European Law at Maastricht University, Netherlands. Former Expert on the United Nations Human Rights Committee of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
HILLARY CHARLESWORTH
Professor at the University of Melbourne and Australian National University, Australia. Currently Judge of the International Court of Justice.
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