Jordan Times
Thursday, October 27, 2005
YAL - Jordan Chapter officially launched
AMMAN (JT) — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Tuesday
participated in the official launch of the Young Arab Leaders (YAL) — Jordan
Chapter, a network seeking to contribute to the prosperity of the Arab world by
creating the necessary environment for future leaders to grow and develop across
all sectors of society.
Congratulating them on the launch, Her Majesty stressed the importance of such
networks in developing the Arab business sector and participating in the reform
and policy-making process, in line with national priorities and future
aspirations.
Queen Rania also commended the Jordan Chapter's efforts in providing university
scholarships, training opportunities and work internships.
She urged the leaders to work in partnership with nongovernmental and civil
society organisations to expand their outreach to the rural areas and
governorates in order to enable youth across the country to become participants
in the overall process of change and development and promote a culture of
philanthropy and corporate social responsibility.
The Queen also underlined the need to develop training programmes, with the aim
of changing and enhancing employee work ethics and attitudes towards work in
general, as well as individual and leadership skills.
She said it was essential to invest in employees and their professional
development to further their productivity and unleash their potential.
This would influence social change by enabling the various sectors to identify
real needs and find ways to better address them, thereby enhancing the existing
partnership between the public and private sectors, she added.
Jordanian members, along with members from other chapters in the region —
Lebanon, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia — attended the event, which included an
overview of the organisation's goals and accomplishments thus far, as well as
future plans.
The YAL Forum, an independent Arab institution, based in Dubai, is governed by
an executive committee and sponsored by a board of trustees headed by Mohammad
Gergawi. It is committed to implementing an action plan that sets the strategic
vision of the organisation whereby the leaders undertake projects focusing on
mentorship and education and produce sector specific plans.
Members are also expected to participate by offering time and effort to guide
rising talents, lead effective networking, carry out fundraising activities and
secure sponsorships.
Presenting the Jordanian Chapter's future plans, Reem Badran, head of the Jordan
Chapter, noted that it will work by initiating local and regional ventures
including the development of a knowledge exchange programme in order to share
the Jordanian experience in various sectors with other Arab countries.
Badran added that the Chapter will also launch the interaction programme between
members and university students, with a view to sharing professional experience
with the future leaders, in addition to hosting the upcoming Arab European
Exchange Forum, which was held for the first time this year in Stuttgart,
Germany.
Speaking on the benefits of joining the network, YAL Executive Committee Member
Habib Ghawi explained that YAL is a unique opportunity for people to play a
leading role in developing the Arab world and interacting with a network of
successful qualified people within their sectors. In addition, it is a modern
self-developing business environment and provides an opportunity to participate
in special events and conferences targeting Arab leaders.
The highlight of the event was the announcement of the Arab Business Angels
Network, to be launched by the Forum in December, with the goal of connecting
pioneers with various sources of funding.
The network, constituting a variety of individuals and entities, will be located
in Dubai and also have a regional office based in Amman. It will work towards
promoting the notion of leadership among the youth, support economic growth and
seek to minimise the gaps within sources and methods of funding for pioneers.
Business Angels Networks have a multitude of economic and social benefits,
including promoting entrepreneurship, contributing to economic growth, filling
the equity funding gap and serving as an alternative source of financing.