Queen Rania Attends Forum of Young Arab Leaders, Underlines Youth's Role in Region's Development

September 19, 2005

(Office of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah-Press Department)Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, on Saturday, met with a group of men and women from the Forum of Young Arab Leaders (YAL), a network of Arab leaders aiming to contribute 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.

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.

The meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the Clinton Global Initiative, which convened on Thursday, included an overview of the organization’s accomplishments thus far.

During the event, Queen Rania, who is a firm believer in the need to involve youth in strategic discussions pertaining to the development of their communities, commended the young leaders and stressed that the next 15 years have immediate, urgent relevance – in all our roles, as business leaders, politicians, public figures, or perhaps as parents.

She added that we all have a moral responsibility and obligation towards the making of the future.

As the head of the Young Global Leaders (YGL) Nomination Committee, and the only Arab member of the World Economic Forum Foundation Board, Queen Rania also encouraged the Arab Leaders to work together towards the realization of their goals, irrespective of their individual differences, given that they come from around the world, and each have different agendas, as only then can they achieve what they have set out to do.

The YGL is a newly-formed, unique, multi-stakeholder community of exceptional young leaders, aged 40 years or younger, who share a commitment to shaping the global future. Queen Rania attended the YGL Inaugural Summit in Zermatt, Switzerland in June of this year.