Jordan Times
Monday, May 21, 2007
Jordan launches Arab youth award
World Economic Forum concludes
By Mohammad Ghazal
DEAD SEA — The World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Middle East wrapped up Sunday with an announcement
to establish the King Abdullah II Award for Youth Achievements in the Arab world.
“The award embodies His Majesty’s vision to enhance the potentials of the Arab youth and support their
innovations, excellence and creativity,” a Royal Court statement said. King Abdullah will present the
award to winners at the 2009 WEF in Jordan, according to Deputy Director of the King Abdullah II Fund
for Development and Director of the King’s Office Bassem Awadallah. “After that, the award will be offered
on an annual basis,” he said. A board of trustees will be formed for the award, comprising Minister of
Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research Khalid Touqan, Vice Chairman and CEO of Abraaj Capital
Arif Naqvi, CEO of Tatweer Saeed Muntafiq, WEF Executive Director Klaus Schwab and Chairman of Fiorina Foundation
Carly Fiorina, Awadallah added.
King Abdullah and Queen Rania attended the three-day gathering of around 1,000 politicians, economists, media
leaders, intellectuals and other prominent figures from around 50 countries. The Monarch inaugurated the WEF
on Friday, urging participants to help end violence in the Middle East and be ready for the “day after peace”.
“This is our year of opportunity. Opportunity to end violence, opportunity to make peace, opportunity to build
the regional economic powerhouse of tomorrow,” the King said in his opening remarks.
“There is a historic opportunity to achieve a just, comprehensive and lasting settlement, and achieve it now,
this year, before any more generations suffer, before any more destruction takes place.”
On the sidelines of the WEF, King Abdullah also inaugurated the Lower Middle-Income Countries Summit (G-11) on Saturday.
The group of Croatia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Georgia, Honduras, Indonesia, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay and
Sri Lanka agreed on a plan of cooperation with the G-8 of most developed nations to ease debt and reform their economies.
“The G-8’s partnership with the G-11 can multiply the positive effects its support to each of our countries has
already had,” the Monarch said.
During this year’s WEF, Jordan signed 24 strategic business agreements valued at more than $2.5 billion, including
a $500 million deal between Emaar Properties PJSC and a number of regional investors for the implementation of the
Samarah Dead Sea Golf & Beach Resort.
Also during the forum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammad Ben Rashid Al Maktoum
lunched a $10 billion fund to promote human development and education in the Arab world.
The initiative, the largest of its kind in the region, will put in place the necessary infrastructure to facilitate
and encourage knowledge creation and dissemination.