His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday said the formation of the We are All Jordan Commission is to preserve the national consensus resulting from a meeting of key local leaders in late July to set the country's priorities.

The King was speaking at the first meeting of the commission, which was set up earlier this month to follow up on the recommendations of the We are All Jordan Forum, which brought together private and public sector leaders to address current and potential challenges.

During Thursday's meeting, the King directed the 27-member panel to form a sub-committee to set up work mechanisms and draft regular reports on progress made.

At the forum meeting, the King said the commission's mandate was to follow up on the recommendations of the high-ranking gathering and stage its periodic sessions, stressing that it would serve as a Royal advisory body, without transgressing the authority of any constitutional institution.

Members include the prime minister, the president of the Senate, former prime ministers, the speaker of the Lower House, former ministers and representatives of the private sector, the media and women's organizations, in addition to the secretary general of the National Policies Council as rapporteur.

Last week, the King met with deputies and senators and urged them to “work as one team” to implement the recommendations of the We are All Jordan Forum.

The Jordan Times