Queen Rania attends launch of Jordanian Chapter of Young Arab Leaders

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Amman) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, on Tuesday, participated in the official launch of the Young Arab Leaders (YAL) - Jordan Chapter, a network of leaders aimed at contributing to the prosperity of the Arab world by creating the necessary environment for future leaders to grow and develop across all sectors of Arab society.

Congratulating them on the launch, Her Majesty stressed the importance of such networks in developing the Arab business sector and participating in the reform and policy making process, in line with national priorities and future aspirations.

Queen Rania also commended the efforts of the Jordan Chapter in providing university scholarships, training opportunities and work internships.

She urged the leaders to work in partnership with non-governmental and civil society organizations to expand their outreach to the rural areas and governorates so as to enable youth across the country to become participants in the overall process of change and development and promote a culture of philanthropy and corporate social responsibility.

The Queen also underlined the need to develop training programs, with the aim of changing and enhancing employee work ethics and attitudes towards work in general, as well as individual and leadership skills, adding that it is essential to invest in employees and their professional development to further their productivity and unleash their potential.

This would influence social change by enabling the various sectors to identify real needs and find ways to better address them, thereby enhancing the existing partnership between the public and private sectors, she added.

Attended by the Jordanian members together with members from other chapters in the region-Lebanon, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia- the event included an overview of the organization’s goals, accomplishments thus far and future plans, including those of the Jordan Chapter, presented by the head of the Chapter, Reem Badran, and YAL Executive Committee member Habib Ghawi.

An Arab independent institution, based in Dubai, governed by an Executive Committee and sponsored by a Board of Trustees headed by Mr. Mohammad Al-Gergawi, the YAL Forum is committed to implementing an action plan that sets the strategic vision of the organization whereby the leaders undertake projects focusing on mentorship and education and produce sector specific plans. Members are also expected to participate in offering time and effort to guide rising talents, to lead effective networking, to carry out fundraising activities and to secure sponsorships.

Presenting the Jordanian Chapter's future plans, Badran noted that the Chapter will work through initiating local and regional initiatives including the development of a knowledge exchange program so as to share the Jordanian experience in various sectors with other Arab countries.

Badran added that the Chapter will also launch the interaction program between member and university students, with a view of sharing the professional experience with the future leaders, in addition to hosting the coming Arab European Exchange Forum, which was held for the first time this year in Stuttgart – Germany.

As for the benefits of joining the YAL, Mr. Ghawi explained that the YAL is a unique opportunity for people to play a leading role in developing the Arab World and interact with a network of successful qualified people within their sectors, in addition to joining a modern self-developing business environment, as well as benefiting from the opportunity to participate in special events and conferences targeting Arab leaders.

The highlight of the event was the announcement of the Arab Business Angels Network, due to be launched by the Forum in December 2005, with the aim of connecting pioneers with various sources of funding, constituting a variety of individuals and entities.

The Network, which will be located in Dubai, will also have a regional office based in Amman, and will work towards promoting the notion of leadership among the youth, support economic growth and seek to minimize the gaps within sources and methods of funding for pioneers.

Business Angels Networks have a multitude of economic and social benefits, including: promoting entrepreneurship, contributing to economic growth, filling the equity funding gap and serving as an alternative source of financing.