Petra News Agency
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
King Opens Nobel Laureates
Conference
Petra, May 15 (Petra)—His Majesty King Abdullah II opened in the ancient city of
Petra today , “Petra Third Nobel Laureates Conference” by focusing on the need
to make the connection between ideas and action and achieve tangible and
concrete results for initiatives that have been launched in the past.
The King added in remarks at the conference, attended by forty Nobel Prize
winners as well as youth from Jordan, Palestine and Israel, that we have an
opportunity to harness all of our thought power and abilities and apply them to
produce creative, powerful initiatives to nurture tomorrow’s leaders.
“One promising vehicle, which I believe will attract much excited discussion
here, is a regional Science Fund, professionally administered and overseen by
Laureates,” His Majesty said, adding this would bring global support for
academic excellence and research, encouraging advances and training tomorrow’s
scientists.
Jordan, he said, wants ideas of scientists and intellectuals to reach beyond the
conference room. “We need your ideas to benefit the lives of the people of this
region, His Majesty added.
Former Secretary General of the U.N. Kofi Annan for his part hailed the King’s
comments on the need to focus on young people.
Annan said the major issue facing the world today was not wars and conflicts,
but rather problems such as terrorism, environmental degradation, cross border
crime, poverty and weapons of mass destruction.
Providing job opportunities to the youth, he said, was a major concern.
Annan said the youth form 27 percent of the world population, but added that the
unemployment percentage among the youth was 50 percent.
This, he said resulted in problems that would not have happened if youth were
employed.
“Decision makers should be aware that the youth are a major component in
policies, Annan added, stressing the need to give them hope, skills, education
and health.
The former U.N secretary general said the world should solve its problems
through cooperation and joint action, adding that no state could achieve its
security at the expense of others.
Annan urged the youth to be engaged in public life and solve problems facing
them without leaving them for others to do so.
The two-day conference is organized by King Abdullah II Fund for Development and
the US-based Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity.
Participants in the conference will focus primarily on economic and development
issues.
The conference will also seek ways of addressing the challenges faced by young
people in the Middle East and means of enhancing educational opportunities for
the region’s youth.