At the Opening of the We Are All Jordan Youth Conference

Remarks by His Majesty King Abdullah II

At the Opening of the We Are All Jordan Youth Conference

JordanDead Sea
16 September 2007
(Translated from Arabic)

My brothers, the youth,

May God grant you good health,

This meeting is to emphasise our commitment to support the We Are All Jordan Youth initiative, the objective of which is to empower youth to actively participate in building our nation.

I have followed with great interest all the activities and initiatives the youth commission has undertaken, especially those dedicated to supporting and funding youth creativity, excellence, entrepreneurialism and partnerships with local communities and job training opportunities.

Today, I am proud of your achievements during the founding phase, during which you identified the general framework for the operation of the commission and mechanisms for communication with youth in order to launch numerous initiatives and transform them into practical achievements whose impact is felt by your peers and society.

What I have seen and heard in terms of dialogue and discussion as part of this national forum strengthened my conviction that Jordanian youth are rich with promising leaders.

My brothers,

Over the next phase, I would like you to work with the same seriousness and authentic Jordanian determination, focusing on the role of youth in all spheres of building and development so that Jordan will remain an example of ability, excellence, creativity and achievement.

The biggest challenge before you during the next phase is to institutionalise the role of youth in several fields, most importantly by building real partnerships with political institutions such as the government, parliament and civil society institutions. This is necessary to polish youth skills and prepare effective and capable leadership that is able to take initiative and build the present and the future.

In this regard, I have over the past months included youth in many of my visits abroad, and on many of my field trips locally. We would like to involve the greatest number of youth possible in this experience.

On the social front, we need to work on strengthening a culture of volunteerism among youth by identifying youth voluntary work days in service institutions that need support and assistance. This helps foster the spirit of initiative and volunteerism among youth, and it strengthens their relationship with society by allowing their direct interaction with its needs and problems.

More important than all of this is the constant communication with youth in all governorates in order to spread awareness, training and guidance in the professional fields of their choice. This can be done through finding institutionalised channels for communication between youth and the private sector to provide job opportunities and through professional guidance offices in all universities.

Once again, many thanks and appreciation for your good efforts. I hope you will convey my regards and pride to all your brothers and sisters throughout the nation. I want you to be assured that our support for youth is boundless and is a fundamental principle of our political doctrine and reflects our conviction in the important role that youth play in building the nation and its future.

My God bless you all and grant you good health.