Jordan on Saturday marked the 8th anniversary of His Majesty King Abdullah's Accession to the Throne.

On the occasion, the King received cables from several heads of Arab states, as well as senior officials and officers in the country.

King Abdullah, whose coronation took place on June 9, 1999, also received cables of congratulations from several senior military and civil officials on the occasion of Army Day and the Great Arab Revolt.

Since his Accession to the Throne, the King has followed a reform and development approach in the country's political, economic and social fields.

He committed himself to pursue the construction of a modern Jordan and began the reform process as an essential step in order to meet the challenges of globalization while sustaining economic growth.

To keep in touch with Jordanian citizens and get a firsthand look at their needs, King Abdullah has been meeting with members of local communities in their respective areas and participating in the make-up of strategies to improve their living conditions.

On the domestic level, as part of his efforts to build up modern Jordan, the King has issued directives for improvements in the health, education, housing, public services, tourism, culture and labour sectors as well as in the field of investment.

Public and private hospitals in the Kingdom now total around 100, with 650 health centres distributed across the country.

The King has paid several visits to public hospitals to check on the quality of services offered to patients.

In the education sector, King Abdullah has called for improving the quality of the output of the educational process, asking universities to introduce computer science as a compulsory subject for all graduates. The King also instructed the Education Ministry to pay further attention to teaching the English language.

King Abdullah directed the government to take measures to improve investment opportunities in the country and create a suitable climate for attracting direct foreign investment so as to create job opportunities and enhance the living standards of citizens.

Investment-related legislation was amended in 2003 to provide more incentives to investors and draw more investments into the country.

The country became a member of the World Trade Organization and signed free trade agreements with Arab countries and the US, in addition to a partnership agreement with the EU.

The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority was established in 2000 to regulate the economic activities of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone, upon the King's directives, to change the port city of Aqaba into an investment hub.

To activate the participation of citizens in the decision-making process, King Abdullah inaugurated the “We are All Jordan” forum at the Dead Sea last year, where he called for a consensus on national priorities in order to build a better future for Jordan.

The King announced a decision to establish the “We are All Jordan Commission,” to oversee implementation of forum recommendations and to preserve the national consensus achieved at the gathering.

King Abdullah also pays a great attention to the youth sector in the country, meeting with representatives in schools, universities and youth institutions.

In the We are All Jordan Youth forum in September, the King underlined the need for youth participation in the decision-making process and in building the future of the country.

On regional and international fronts, King Abdullah maintained close contact with key political, business, academic and religious figures in the Arab world, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas to continue to promote peace, security and opportunities for progress and prosperity.

Addressing a joint meeting of the US Congress in March this year, His Majesty called on the US to play a “historic” role in the Middle East by helping Palestinians and Israelis achieve peace.

In a speech to the nation on Independence Day, the King emphasized that one of the country's top priorities remains helping the Palestinian people regain their rights and establish an independent state on their national soil and reiterated Jordan's commitment to fully support the Palestinians until they achieve their national aspirations.

“Jordan will continue its diplomacy, using every possible forum around the world to call for the realization of permanent and comprehensive peace that guarantees rights and preserves dignity of those to whom these rights are due,” the King added.

The Jordan Times