Hussein Al-alak calls The Kingdom of Jordan, “A Royal Success”
The Kingdom of Jordan has been hitting the headlines, with recent news of the progress the country is making, in light of the turbulences being faced by their neighbours and strains this has caused upon the country.
On Monday 7th May, King Abdullah and Queen Rania were recognised by the Seeds for Peace organisation, for their joint role in promoting a just world. “My husband and I are determined to do our part.” Said Queen Rania, who accepted the award at a ceremony in New York.
The Queen accepted the award on behalf of the Jordanian Royal Family and was also reported as saying, “I believe the terrain at stake is much wider than the Middle East… For I am concerned about the dark cloud of fear that is separating East from West and obscuring our ability to work through our problems together.”
Queen Rania made the headlines again on Thursday, by being announced as one of Time Magazines top 14 power givers in the world for 2007.
According to the Jordan Times, “the magazine says Queen Rania was recognised for her work with the Jordan River Foundation, through which she “has helped address income disparities in Jordan.”
“Her Majesty’s programmes have focused on issues such as education, health and youth, among others.”
His Majesty King Abdullah echoed similar sentiments, as he announced his “vision” for the country’s health care. Stating that “the health sector is based on the necessity to provide high quality health services in all governorates and ensure that all Jordanians are covered by health insurance.”
According to the news agency PETRA, King Abdullah: “ordered the government to immediately begin the implementation of health projects in the country, particularly the establishment of the Zarqa, Karak and Baqaa hospitals.”
In 2004, the King donated 112-square-kilometres of land to establish a new hospital to meet an increasing demand for treatment at the Zarqa’ public hospital. The King has criticised its slow development and was reported as saying that “Services [at the hospital] are not satisfactory, and I am not comfortable with the slow pace of work on the project,”
The King has also been making several surprise visits to public hospitals around the Kingdom to check on various services provided for its citizens.
The government have also made plans to dispatch “Jordanian physicians to developed countries for added training”. This move has been made in response to a “drain“ in skilled medical workers, as many qualified staff have chosen to migrate, said Health Minister Saad Kharabsheh.
Jordan is also ploughing ahead with its International Day of Families, which will be taking place within the Kingdom on the 16th May but this year’s focus will be placed on the needs of the disabled.
According to Jamil Smadi, the Director of the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA), “Citizens with disabilities currently make up 5.5 per cent of the country’s 1,035,370 families.”
The event is being organised along the central theme of “Families and Persons with Disabilities”, with the aim of the day seeking to “highlight the role of families in supporting disabled members”.
The council will also be working to “reinforce the partnership between government and non-governmental institutions, to enhance the quality of service provision to these individuals and their families.”
Other up-coming mobilisations include the three day “Building Bridges – Breaking Walls” conference, which is being organised by the Jordanian branch of the International Women’s Forum and has the backing of Her Majesty Queen Rania.
Speaking at an interview last week, the president of the IWF Reem Abu Hassan said, “The conference seeks to bridge the gap between Middle Eastern and Western societies through concerted dialogue to clarify and expose mutual myths and pre-conceived ideas on complex issues pertaining to democracy, educational systems and the role of women.”
Presentations will also be held on culture, the role of Arab women and the future of the Arab world. The event will be taking place in the Kingdom’s capitol, Amman and will play host to over 500 international delegates.
Jordan is also making its presence felt in the world of travel and tourism, with an on-going bid to have the ancient “Red Rose City” of Petra declared as one of the 7-Wonders of the World, in a vote that will be cast in July 2007, with the final announcement being unveiled in Lisbon, Portugal.
Chaired by the former head of the UN’s cultural agency (UNESCO), Petra has already advanced beyond the preliminary rounds of the competition and is now vying for recognition against 20 other man made wonders, including the Pyramids of Giza, the Acropolis in Athens and Britain’s Stonehenge.
Hussein Al-alak
The Iraq Solidarity Campaign
http://www.iraqsolidaritycampaign.blogspot.com
Please also see:
Seeds of Peace http://www.seedsofpeace.org
The Kingdom of Jordan has been hitting the headlines, with recent news of the progress the country is making, in light of the turbulences being faced by their neighbours and strains this has caused upon the country.
On Monday 7th May, King Abdullah and Queen Rania were recognised by the Seeds for Peace organisation, for their joint role in promoting a just world. “My husband and I are determined to do our part.” Said Queen Rania, who accepted the award at a ceremony in New York.
The Queen accepted the award on behalf of the Jordanian Royal Family and was also reported as saying, “I believe the terrain at stake is much wider than the Middle East… For I am concerned about the dark cloud of fear that is separating East from West and obscuring our ability to work through our problems together.”
Queen Rania made the headlines again on Thursday, by being announced as one of Time Magazines top 14 power givers in the world for 2007.
According to the Jordan Times, “the magazine says Queen Rania was recognised for her work with the Jordan River Foundation, through which she “has helped address income disparities in Jordan.”
“Her Majesty’s programmes have focused on issues such as education, health and youth, among others.”
His Majesty King Abdullah echoed similar sentiments, as he announced his “vision” for the country’s health care. Stating that “the health sector is based on the necessity to provide high quality health services in all governorates and ensure that all Jordanians are covered by health insurance.”
According to the news agency PETRA, King Abdullah: “ordered the government to immediately begin the implementation of health projects in the country, particularly the establishment of the Zarqa, Karak and Baqaa hospitals.”
In 2004, the King donated 112-square-kilometres of land to establish a new hospital to meet an increasing demand for treatment at the Zarqa’ public hospital. The King has criticised its slow development and was reported as saying that “Services [at the hospital] are not satisfactory, and I am not comfortable with the slow pace of work on the project,”
The King has also been making several surprise visits to public hospitals around the Kingdom to check on various services provided for its citizens.
The government have also made plans to dispatch “Jordanian physicians to developed countries for added training”. This move has been made in response to a “drain“ in skilled medical workers, as many qualified staff have chosen to migrate, said Health Minister Saad Kharabsheh.
Jordan is also ploughing ahead with its International Day of Families, which will be taking place within the Kingdom on the 16th May but this year’s focus will be placed on the needs of the disabled.
According to Jamil Smadi, the Director of the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA), “Citizens with disabilities currently make up 5.5 per cent of the country’s 1,035,370 families.”
The event is being organised along the central theme of “Families and Persons with Disabilities”, with the aim of the day seeking to “highlight the role of families in supporting disabled members”.
The council will also be working to “reinforce the partnership between government and non-governmental institutions, to enhance the quality of service provision to these individuals and their families.”
Other up-coming mobilisations include the three day “Building Bridges – Breaking Walls” conference, which is being organised by the Jordanian branch of the International Women’s Forum and has the backing of Her Majesty Queen Rania.
Speaking at an interview last week, the president of the IWF Reem Abu Hassan said, “The conference seeks to bridge the gap between Middle Eastern and Western societies through concerted dialogue to clarify and expose mutual myths and pre-conceived ideas on complex issues pertaining to democracy, educational systems and the role of women.”
Presentations will also be held on culture, the role of Arab women and the future of the Arab world. The event will be taking place in the Kingdom’s capitol, Amman and will play host to over 500 international delegates.
Jordan is also making its presence felt in the world of travel and tourism, with an on-going bid to have the ancient “Red Rose City” of Petra declared as one of the 7-Wonders of the World, in a vote that will be cast in July 2007, with the final announcement being unveiled in Lisbon, Portugal.
Chaired by the former head of the UN’s cultural agency (UNESCO), Petra has already advanced beyond the preliminary rounds of the competition and is now vying for recognition against 20 other man made wonders, including the Pyramids of Giza, the Acropolis in Athens and Britain’s Stonehenge.
Hussein Al-alak
The Iraq Solidarity Campaign
http://www.iraqsolidaritycampaign.blogspot.com
Please also see:
Seeds of Peace http://www.seedsofpeace.org