Jordan Times
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Jordanian youth get their
voices heard at WEF session
AMMAN (JT) — Jordanian youth from around the Kingdom got a chance to participate
in the world's premier economic gathering, when they joined Her Majesty Queen
Rania at a session tackling challenges facing the younger generation in the
Middle East.
At Monday's World Economic Forum (WEF) session entitled “Saving Youth,” young
participants from different parts of the Kingdom — representing the Princess
Basma Youth Resource Centre, Jordan Junior Achievement Programme (INJAZ), and
the Jordan Youth Forum — got their voices heard, from the lowest spot on Earth
to the rest of the world.
Rubbing shoulders with ambassadors, ministers, CEOs, well-known journalists and
editors from Jordan and abroad, the young people engaged in a lively discussion
on education, empowerment of youth, political participation, gender equality,
and private-public sector partnership.
During the session, attended by WEF President Klaus Schwab and UNICEF Executive
Director Carol Bellamy, Queen Rania noted that youth had captured the essence of
His Majesty King Abdullah's vision and were therefore the ones who would bring
about positive change. She added while youth needed to be proactive, it was
society's role to instil self-confidence in them and support them to make their
voice heard.
“Youth are the vanguard for reform and are the engines for change,” the Queen
said, adding that through her interaction with youth and their active engagement
in dialogue on several occasions, this session should be called “youth saving
us.”
Schwab announced WEF's commitment to the Forum of New Global Leaders, a new
initiative that will bring together 1,111 young leaders and engage them in WEF
activities, aimed at having an impact on regional and global affairs.
As a WEF board member, Queen Rania called on the forum to take action to include
the voice of youth in strategic discussions and place them centre stage next
year. The Forum of New Global Leaders, WEF's newest initiative, should include a
mentoring programme so that new leaders can be identified and nurtured, she
added.
As the young people joined participants on each table, discussions focused on
the importance of education in providing equal opportunities for all — a basic
tool that enables them to hone their skills and compete on the local and
international scene.
Queen Rania noted that reforming education and updating curricula to meet the
needs of everyday life would not only tap into curriculum change and
introduction of IT, but also create quality teachers who would serve as role
models.
The discussion also touched upon creating opportunities for youth, meritocracy,
integrating leadership programmes in school curricula in order to reach the
biggest number possible, the role of youth in shaping events in society,
including taking an active role in political development through lobbying for
able politicians and deputies.
But what do officials plan to do after hearing youth's challenges and
aspirations, one student asked as the session concluded.
In summing up discussion of the roundtables, Bellamy said the Jordanian
leadership's engagement with youth should be a model for the world. “It's a
two-way street. Leaders and youth can benefit from one another,” she added.
On the sidelines of the sessions at the Dead Sea, Queen Rania held talks with
Bellamy and UNICEF Jordan Country Representative Anne Skatvedt, during which
they discussed youth issues, and opportunities created through UNICEF
initiatives.