Queen Rania meets with social, humanitarian activists in New York

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Wednesday met with a group of social and humanitarian activists representing various civil society institutions as well as the private sector.

At a lunch hosted by Jordan River Foundation (JRF) USA board member Pat Mitchell and the president and CEO of the United Nations Foundation (UNF) Kathy Calvin in New York, Queen Rania and attendees discussed the challenges that Jordan faces especially in light of the influx of Syrian refugees into the Kingdom.

Her Majesty pointed out that although Jordan depends on imports for over 95 per cent of its energy and grain needs, and is considered one of the world’s poorest countries in water resources, it is the world’s 3rd largest refugee host.

The Queen also shed light on the need to invest in education, the healthcare sector, renewable energy and job creation so as to be able to address the challenges the region is facing, according to a statement from her office. 

Her Majesty encouraged attendees to explore new opportunities to support Jordan and invest in it.

Queen Rania highlighted the potential role of technology in fast-tracking solutions to many of the Arab world’s challenges and spoke about Edraak, a massive open online course (MOOC) platform that was launched by the Queen Rania Foundation (QRF). 

This platform will broadcast the best Arab professors to the region, offering original Arabic courses — developed by QRF — to further enrich Arab education.

Her Majesty also spoke about the JRF’s programmes in Jordan and how it works through partnerships with the private sector to provide local projects that empower women and men, developing their knowledge and skills in handicraft production, entrepreneurship and small business management. JRF has been dedicated for the last 20 years to improving the livelihoods of families and communities across the Kingdom.

Also on Wednesday, Queen Rania took part in a Clinton Global Initiative CNN broadcast session titled “The Tenth Meeting: Turning Ideas into Action”. 

Her Majesty was joined by former US president Bill Clinton and Cisco CEO John Chambers at the panel, which was moderated by CNN Anchor Erin Burnett.

Her Majesty talked about the impact of the Syrian crisis on Jordan, and the importance of investing in education for both Jordanian and Syrian children. The Queen also highlighted the role of education in building resilience at times of crisis and how it can be a foundation for recovery and reconciliation, the statement said.

Also during her participation in the panel, Queen Rania spoke about the importance of fighting extremism by offering young people a different approach that provides them with high quality education and opportunity. 

In addition, she talked about Jordan’s long-term refugee policy and how it has contributed to stability in the region.