2008

(Jordan Times – Aqaba) – Her Majesty Queen Rania on Friday toured several development projects currently being carried out in Aqaba’s old city and the surrounding area, expressing her support for diverse social, economic, educational and environment programmes in the port city.

The Aqaba neighbourhood known as the old city, which hosts a population of 7,000, is afflicted with a high unemployment rate and an abnormal rate of school drop-outs, according to a study carried out by the Jordan River Foundation (JRF).

(Office of Her Majesty – Press Department – Kuala Lumpur) - Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah attended a Special Silver Book Roundtable, Thursday, to discuss the role of the private sector in nation building and encourage the Malaysian CEOs to share their best practices and lessons learnt in the field with their Arab counterparts.

(Office of Her Majesty – Press Department – Amman) - Accompanying His Majesty King Abdullah II on a visit to the United States last week, Queen Rania spent much of her time promoting cultural understanding, women’s empowerment, and advocating for her charity organization, the Jordan River Foundation (JRF).

(Office of Her Majesty – Press Department – Amman) - Led by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, representatives from some of the Middle East’s most progressive organizations came together in Amman this week for a two-day meeting on how corporations and non-governmental organizations can best serve their shareholders and stakeholders by balancing profit with environmental protection, and equal opportunity.

(Office of Her Majesty – Press Department – Madrid) - While in Spain, on Saturday, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah toured a Spanish cultural center dedicated to breaking down stereotypes of the Arab world, and visited a famous Picasso anti-war exhibition to emphasize the need for peace.

Queen Rania, who is accompanying His Majesty King Abdullah on a state visit to Spain and Latin America, was joined by Her Royal Highness Princess Noor Hamzah. 

(Office of Her Majesty – Press Department – Amman) - While usually reserved for lighthearted fun and entertainment, the hallways of the Children’s Museum of Jordan saw a different kind of gathering, Monday, as child-health and education experts and policy makers came together to discuss the current trends in Jordan. 

Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah launched the latest Situation Analysis for Children in Jordan, there, bringing some welcomed news about the Kingdom’s progress. 

(Office of Her Majesty – Press Department – Amman) - During the first day of a two-day conference focusing on sustainable business practices in the Arab world, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah led a discussion focusing on youth employment and employability in the Arab world, Sunday, advising leaders from the business community to develop sustainable solutions to “bridge the gap between school and work.”

At the opening plenary of the second Arab Sustainability Leadership Group (ASLG) meeting, Queen Rania pointed out why youth employability is of major concern to the region. 

(Office of Her Majesty – Press Department – Amman) - As the heartbreaking news of Um Abdullah, a recently widowed mother of 11 children, and her struggles reached Jordanian readers, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah was quick to respond to the widow’s pleas for help.

On Thursday, Queen Rania, who read the human interest piece in a local newspaper earlier this week, paid a surprise visit to the widow, who lost her husband to a sudden heart attack two months ago, to offer her solace, comfort and relief. 

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department -- Aqaba) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah met with local officials in Aqaba, Wednesday, to support their efforts in collecting relief packages for the citizens of Gaza.

(Jordan Times - Amman) Her Majesty Queen Rania on Wednesday launched the second stage of the Jordan Education Initiative (JEI) and its strategic plans for the next three years.

At a meeting yesterday, attended by JEI board members and principal partners, the Queen praised the JEI’s continued ability to draw more partners from various areas of the world five years after its launch, saying this attests to the initiative’s success.