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 Click here for a list of more photos On Sunday, the King of Jordan presided over the 10th anniversary of the King Abdullah Fund for Development (KAFD). The fund serves over a million people throughout the Hashemite Kingdom.
During the ceremony, King Abdullah awarded several private and public sectors and civil institutions which support the KAFD.
His Majesty also honored students from the Samma Comprehensive Girls School and the National School for Girls for their winning of a software applications development contest. The competition had girls between the ages of 15 and 17 to develop cell phone programs and applications.
The King Abdullah Fund for Development began in 2001 and was set up in order to support Jordan through human and infrastructure development.
Source: Petra
 Click here to view more images Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan was an honoree at Thursday’s 2011 UNICEF Ball held in Los Angeles. She took home the Woman of Compassion award, something she was pleased to win.
“Humbled by UNICEF’s Woman of Compassion tribute today esp as King Hussein my model of compass leadership&UNICEF is ultimate compass org,” the Queen wrote on Twitter.
Noor was among many Hollywood celebrities that night including Nicole Ritchie, Brooklyn Decker, Rose McGowan, Matthew Morrison, Jenna Elfman and Jayma Mays.
Sources: Twitter, Gossip Center
The Queen of Jordan gave out her annual Excellence in Education today at the Applied Science Private University in Amman. Since 2005, Queen Rania has been awarding her country’s teachers, and in 2009, began awarding principals as way to improve education in the Hashemite Kingdom.
 Click here to see more photos This year, 25 teachers and 7 principals received their Excellence in Education awards.
“Change for us is an opportunity,” Her Majesty told those at the university’s the conference center. “An opportunity to learn from the past, and set modern plans for our future.”
“Teach them responsibility,” The Queen told the teachers and principals. “Teach them how to transform their love for Jordan into constructive work, so Jordan and they can grow together.”
The ceremony for this award included a screening of a couple of documentaries which showcased what is expected from a Jordanian educator.
The Teacher’s award began in 2005, and the Principal’s award is biannual. This year, nearly 2,000 applicants for teachers and 282 applicants for principals came in from all over Jordan.
Source: Petra
The Queen of Jordan spoke Wednesday about the need for education at the Opening Ceremony of the Fourth High Level forum on Aid Effectiveness in the South Korean port city of Busan.
 Click here to learn more “We are in a constant continuum of change which is altering the context of development,” said Queen Rania while stressing the need for smart aid towards education.
“Education is more than a right; its a resource,” she said. “It can combat almost every global humanitarian challenge today.”
The Queen went on to say how 67 million children worldwide are unable to attend classes, there are too few teachers and outdated curricula, and many students graduate without the skills needed for a fast changing world.
Rania also highlighted that women need to be encouraged because they “contributed more to global GDP than either new technologies or the emerging economies of China and India.”
Also on Wednesday, Her Majesty visited a teacher’s college and an elementary school in Busan. Kim Sang-young, president of Busan National University of Education, told her about the admissions process, training courses and operations.
Queen Rania was certainly impressed by the South Korean system. “Korea is a prime example of how the power of education can transform a nation,” she told Kim.
“We, Jordan, are facing similar challenges that Korea experienced decades ago. I strongly believe that the single most important element in education is the quality of the teachers.”
She also expressed her envy over how popular and competitive it is to be licensed teacher in the country, whereas in Jordan, teaching is not too many students’ desire.
The Queen was in South Korea for the 4th High-Level International Forum on Aid Effectiveness. She was one of the VIP guests along with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.N. Secretary General Ban ki-moon, and for British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Sources: Petra, Korea Times
In an interview with the BBC, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said that Syrian President Bashar Assad should resign. This makes the King the first Arab leader to make such a call.
 Click here to see more images at Daylife.com “If Bashar (Assad) has the interest of his country, he would step down, but he would also create an ability to reach out and start a new phase of Syrian political life,” Abdullah said.
His Majesty also added that if he were Assad, he would step down and he “would make sure whoever comes behind me has the ability to change the status quo that we’re seeing.”
Syria did not respond to the statements.
It comes days after the Arab League voted to suspend Syria because of the attacks on protesters that the United Nations believes over 3,000 have died since mid-March.
The Arab League will discuss the suspension further this Wednesday.
Source: AP, Washington Post
At the shores of the Dead Sea, Jordan’s King Abdullah II opened this year’s Word Economic Forum, which is intended for the Middle East. As part of his opening speech, His Majesty talked about the need for 85 million jobs in the region, and also he highlighted the Arab Spring.
 Click here to view more photos “This year’s events have opened the way to positive change, but in many places, also created painful economic dislocations. Strategies are urgently needed, and they must take place across the board – in economic life, in politics and policies, in social life and cultural values,” he said.
“Democracy is an entry to real reform,” he went on to say. “Where people can come together as citizens and stakeholders: assembling in political parties; formulating platforms; building consensus. There is no one path forward from this gate. Solutions must and will be home grown, in each of our own countries.”
King Abdullah also discussed the need for a Palestinian statehood and the acceptance of Israel as way for peace and stability in the region.
 Click here to view more photos At the end of his speech, the King gave his condolences to Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who’s heir and brother, Crown Prince Sultan, passed away Saturday.
Watching and listening to his speech in the front row was Queen Rania and Spanish King Juan Carlos. The King of Spain is in Jordan for a few days as a guest of King Abdullah II.
This Forum was originally scheduled for February. But because of the uprisings and protests in the Middle East, it was rescheduled for October.
Sources: Reuters, Petra News Agency
On Sunday, 70 members of Jordan’s Parliament demanded that King Abdullah II dismiss not only Prime Minister Maarouf al-Bakhit, but also the cabinet, for failing to implement reforms.
 Click here for image gallery at Daylife.com The King told his PM, whom he appointed back in February, to step down Monday, and now he has been replaced by Dr. Awn al-Khasawneh, a judge at the International Court of Justice. This is the third time this year that Jordan has had a new PM.
The difference between Bakhit and Khasawneh is that the new PM is respected by most Jordanians, whereas Bakhit was disliked by tribal leaders and Islamists.
Former military general Bakhit also angered the populace when he made it against the law to accuse someone of corruption. That was seen as anti-freedom of speech, something many Jordanian protesters wanted earlier this year.
Khasawneh, age 61, has worked at The Hague since 2000 and negotiated the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty in 1994. He is expected to start right away on setting up a new cabinet.
A spokesman for retired military service members, Gen. Ali Habashneh, said, “Awn Khasawneh is known for his integrity, and has no corruption issues in his past like the rest, and more importantly, he has very high legal capabilities, which is essential now in this phase of constitutional amendments, laws and legislation which will define the future of Jordan.”
Another seat that has been changed is the Intelligence Chief. King Abdullah gave that over to Maj. Gen. Faisal al-Shobaki, a longstanding intelligence operative.
Source: NYTimes, BBC
On Saturday, King Abdullah II of Jordan reiterated his country’s support for Libya’s National Transitional Council. He did so as met with Mahmoud Jibril, the head of the provisional government, as a way of strengthening the links between the two countries.
 Click here for original article at Petra The King also pledged assistance in helping Libya with medical and humanitarian aid. Jibril came to Jordan to request such help.
“The Libyan people now face the challenge of rebuilding their state and institutions, starting with the establishment of a national army, as well as the restoration of security to the country,” he said.
Jibril thanked King Abdullah in the presence of senior Jordanian officials, such as the army’s joint chiefs of staff General Mishaal al-Zaben and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh.
Jibril also said Judeh will visit Tripoli in the next few days to underline Jordan’s pledge and to find ways Libya could strengthen closer ties with Arab countries.
“Jordan is one of the most important Arab countries in terms of responding to Libyan needs and contributing to reconstruction efforts,” said Jibril
Also while in Jordan, Jibril toured Amman’s hospitals where 700 Libyans are being treated after fighting Gaddafi’s forces.
Jordan was one the first Arab countries to recognize the NTC as a representative of the Libyan people.
Source: Petra, Monster and Critics
As the Arab Spring continues, Jordan’s King Abdullah II is being optimistic about the protests and demands for political change. In an interview with the American radio station, NPR, the King expressed his wish for his country to reform.
 Click here for recent King Abdullah II photos “In certain countries, you’re going to see revolution after revolution, until it calms down,” he told Morning Edition co-host Steve Inskeep. “What we’re trying to do in Jordan is [to] do evolution.”
His Majesty spoke of hope that Jordan would be a model for democracy in the Middle East, and that it is looking to strengthen its middle class and allow more political participation.
“What keeps me up at night is poverty and unemployment,” the King said. ”We have, in the past 10 years, managed to establish a credible middle class. But any shifts in oil prices, economic challenges, that middle class becomes very fragile. … You really need a strong, stable middle class.”
“My job is to put food on the table for people,” King Abdullah went on. “And what I meant by that is, basically, creating a middle class, knowing full well — and looking again at the European model, the United States in particular, also — the stronger you have a middle class, the easier I think political transformation happens.”
The King also discussed during the interview with NPR of the future of the Jordanian monarchy.
“The monarchy that I hand over to my son is not going to be the same one that I have inherited,” he said. “There is a tendency by a lot of officials to hide behind the King. And it’s about time that officials take their responsibility and are responsible in front of the people. Because today, if you’re appointed by the king, they don’t feel that they’re responsible for the people. If you have a government that is elected, they need to do the hard work — because if they don’t, they won’t be around the next time the ballot box is open.”
King Abdullah mentioned that municipal elections are to be held towards the end of the year, while national elections will take place in early 2012. He also explained that there isn’t much of a democratic mindset among Jordanians, saying if someone were to ask a citizen where he or she stood on certain issues, a response would be a blank look.
Unlike Egypt, Bahrain and Tunisia, Jordan has not seen the same amount of protesting, but it is significant. The King mentioned how the end of the Arab Spring is unknown.
“No expert in the world now can predict what’s going to happen in the Middle East. Things are happening too quickly, and the area is changing so rapidly that we really don’t know.”
To hear and read more about King Abdullah II’s interview with NPR, click here.
Source: NPR
On Monday, the King of Jordan set out on one-day visits to the Gulf States as a way to mark the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. King Abdullah II brought with him his son and heir, Crown Prince Hussein, as he went to Kuwait and Qatar.
 Click here for more photos The tiny country of Kuwait was the first stop for the father and son. Arriving at Dasman Palace, the two met with the Emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah. The King and the Emir then sat for talks about bilateral ties, which have strengthened since Jordan and Kuwait renewed them last year. Their ties were strained 20 years ago during the Persian Gulf war.
After the talks, the Emir hosted an iftar banquet for the King and the Crown Prince.
Abdullah, Hussein and their delegation then returned home.
The next day, King Abdullah went to Bahrain for the same reasons. But he did not bring his son with him. Instead, two of his brothers accompanied him – Prince Feisal and Prince Hashim.
For Wednesday, Crown Prince Hussein joined his father to Qatar, where Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his son and heir, Sheikh Tamim, greeted them at Al-Wajba Palace. All four sat during the talks between His Majesty and the Emir, who discussed bilateral ties and issues concerning the Middle East.
As they did in Kuwait, King Abdullah and Crown Prince Hussein were then guests of honor for an iftar banquet given by the Emir and his son.
Right afterwards, the father and son headed back to Jordan.
Sources: The Jordan Times
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