Queen Rania of Jordan (edit name/settings)

Rania Al Abdullah (Arabic: الملكة رانيا العبد الله‎ Rānyā al-‘abdu l-Lāh) (born Rania al Yassin on 31 August 1970) is the current Queen consort of Jordan as the wife of King Abdullah II of Jordan.
As a global figure, and considered by some to be one of the world’s most powerful women, Queen Rania has focused her energy, at home and abroad, on a variety of causes, notably education.
In Jordan, her work focuses on the calibre and quality of education for Jordanian children, while abroad she advocates for global education and for world leaders to fulfill their commitments towards the second Millennium Development Goals, Universal Primary Education.

Personal life
Rania Al-Yassin was born in Kuwait to Palestinian refugee parents from Tulkarm. She attended school at New English School in Hawalli Kuwait, then earned a degree in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo. Upon her graduation from university, Queen Rania returned to Jordan and pursued a career in banking, working for Citibank, followed by a brief career in the field of Information Technology, at Apple Computer in Amman.

Marriage and children
She met Jordanian King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein, then Prince, at a dinner party in January 1993. Two months later, they announced their engagement and on 10 June 1993, they were married. They have four children:

Crown Prince Hussein (born 28 June 1994)
Princess Iman (born 27 September 1996)
Princess Salma (born 26 September 2000)
Prince Hashem (born 30 January 2005)

Becoming Queen of Jordan
Although her husband ascended on 7 February 1999, Rania did not become Queen immediately. She was proclaimed Queen of Jordan by her husband on 22 March 1999. Without proclamation, she would have been a princess consort, just like her mother-in-law, Princess Muna al-Hussein.

Areas of work
Since her marriage, Queen Rania has used her position to improve the livelihood of various sectors of society in Jordan and beyond. She is a global advocate for education and strong supporter of social development and economic opportunities for all. Queen Rania’s activities have encompassed issues such as community empowerment and sustainability, education, health, children, youth, women, and the environment, among others.

Domestic agenda
Education
Michelle Obama hosts Queen Rania in the Yellow Oval RoomFrom Queen Rania’s numerous public appearances and speeches, she believes strongly that enhancing education is vital for bridging gaps, giving people hope, improving lives and ensuring stability throughout the world. To this effect, over the past few years, Queen Rania has launched, championed, and given patronage to a number of initiatives in education and learning.

Educating our children is not just about imposing a body of knowledge on them. Rather, it involves preparing children from the early years for the world in which they will come of age. It means instilling a love for lifelong learning, creativity, self-expression and an appreciation for diversity
In April 2008, Queen Rania launched “Madrasati” (“My School”), a public-private initiative aimed at refurbishing 500 of Jordan’s public schools over a five year period. One of her more major initiatives, Madrasati aims to improve education by creating a better learning environment, both physically and emotionally, engaging students, local businesses, and local communities to form committees and find collaborative means to improve the school. Phase II of Madrasati was launched at the end of April 2009, in which an additional 100 schools in Jerash, Ajloun, Balqa and Madaba are set to be renovated. The second phase builds on the establishment of a higher quality of education for children by continuing the significant progress made by Phase I of Madrasati.

In October 2005, their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania launched, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, an annual teachers’ award, known as the Queen Rania Award for Excellence in Education, aimed at setting national standards of excellence in teaching, and celebrating, encouraging and honoring those who achieve them. In 2009, the Award expanded to include school principals.

Queen Rania established the Kingdom’s first interactive children’s museum to encourage and nurture lifelong learning for children and their families. The Children’s Museum of Jordan opened its doors to the public on May 23, 2007. It has more than 150 thought-provoking exhibits designed for children aged 14 and younger, a demographic that makes up almost 40 percent of Jordan’s population.

Queen Rania is also Chairperson of the Royal Health Awareness Society (RHAS). Launched in September 2005, RHAS promotes health awareness among the wider public, focusing on comprehensive access to information, and helping to raise fit, strong, and socially-responsible citizens. One of RHAS’ initiatives includes the Healthy Schools Project which promotes wellbeing in schools by developing high standards for living, learning, and working.

At the higher education level, and as part of Queen Rania’s support for education and development, the Queen Rania Scholarship Program was established in partnership with several leading universities from around the world. The scholarship program gives leading Jordanian students the opportunity to pursue top degrees ranging from management and marketing to design, business, finance, psychology, architecture, law, and many others, before returning home and contributing to Jordanian society.

Community empowerment
Queen Rania's first venture was the establishment of the Jordan River Foundation (JRF) in 1995, a non-governmental organization, which has initiated socio-economic projects to enhance the livelihood of families and communities, through empowering women and developing their knowledge and skills in handicraft production and entrepreneurship. A statement on the website declares, "Today, the Foundation is recognized nationally, regionally and internationally as an agent for positive change and as a leading Jordanian institution contributing to the social and economic well-being of citizens. Our activities have become models for emulation receiving accolades by our beneficiaries who are often held up as success stories”.

JRF has two major programs: the Community Empowerment Program (CEP) and the Jordan River Children Program (JRCP).

The CEP facilitates creative solutions to empower communities to participate in their own economic opportunities, making the most of the resources and skills they possess in order to ensure a safe, sustainable life. This includes income-generating projects such as Jordan River Designs, Wadi Al-Rayan, and Bani Hamida. These initiatives not only assist women in creating additional sources of income to support their families, but are also designed to empower women to become decision-makers within their family unit and to be skilled contributors to the Jordanian economy. Additionally, these projects have contributed to the revival of a heritage of craft production and tribal rug-weaving in Jordan.

Over time, JRF has expanded its mission to include a more sustainable, holistic approach by investing more in communities than individuals, focusing on the needs of whole villages, and inspiring locals to take on the responsibility for working towards their own development. In 2007, JRF and an international corporation, partnered with a village in Ajloun, called Rasoun.

The Jordan River Children Program (JRCP) was developed by Queen Rania to place children’s welfare above political agendas and cultural taboos. This led to the launch, in 1998, of JRF’s Child Safety Program, which addresses the immediate needs of children at risk from abuse and initiated a long-term campaign to increase public awareness about violence against children. “Dar Al-Aman”, the Child Safety Center, which is the first of its kind in the Arab region, became operational in August 2000, offering protection and rehabilitation to abused and neglected children, as well as counselling to their families. In 2005, JRF opened the Queen Rania Family and Child Center which promotes positive, practical training for parents, and provides facilities to encourage constructive and educational activities for children. The deaths of two children in Amman as a result of child abuse in early 2009 led Queen Rania to call for an emergency meeting of government and non-government (including JRF) stakeholders to discuss where the system was failing.

In 2009, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her husband, King Abdullah's accession to the throne, Queen Rania launched a community champion award (Ahel Al Himmeh) in March to highlight the accomplishments of groups and individuals who have helped their local communities. 45,000 nominations from across the Kingdom were received, and on the June 28, 2009 the winners were announced in a celebration conducted in the Roman Amphitheatre in downtown Amman.

Sustainability
Launched by Queen Rania in May 2008, The Arab Sustainability Leadership Group (ASLG) encourages businesses to show that profit does not have to be sacrificed for the sake of environmental protection and equal opportunity. The regional network brings together the Arab World’s most progressive business, government, NGO and civil society leaders, and is the first of its kind from the region to commit to sustainability and global reporting standards.

ASLG is open to all organizations based in the Arab region that are committed to the principles of sustainability. Members agree to work towards the goals of ASLG, including adopting a strategy to implement sustainability management within their organizations, and having a plan in place to produce sustainability reports within a reasonable timeframe. The network has also committed to discussing ways to change mindsets about sustainability and reporting, to increase public awareness of the benefits of reporting to companies and the public, and to discuss innovative ways of how to promote these issues. In November 2008, the group met in Amman, Jordan, to identify ways to overcome the challenges of sustainability in the region, and to work out the most efficient ways of spreading the concept to other progressive organizations. In 2009, the launch of the first Arab Responsible Competitiveness Report at the World Economic Forum (Dead Sea, Jordan), was commissioned by the ASLG.

Queen Rania also actively supports the development of Jordan’s sustainable tourism sector, backing organizations as the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature. Through her involvement, the Queen is helping to highlight Jordan as a safe, welcoming, and unique tourism destination that offers modern services on the one hand, with authenticity and heritage on the other.

Since 2007, Rania has supported the partnership between the World Heritage Alliance Sustainable Tourism (WHA), (a membership-based initiative launched in 2005 by the United Nations Foundation (UNF) and Expedia, Inc.), and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The partnership preserves and protects Petra, one of the world’s ‘New Seven Wonders’, as well as Jordan’s two other designated UNESCO World Heritage sites, while promoting responsible tourism to the country.

Youth
Queen Rania believes that an essential aspect of education is to equip youth with the necessary skills that enable them to perform well in the workplace. She is a strong supporter of INJAZ (Junior Achievement World Wide), which was established by Save the Children in 1999 and launched as a Jordanian non-profit organization by Rania in 2001. INJAZ aims to build the skills of Jordan’s future work force and enhance competitive adaptability in the global marketplace. In her capacity as the Regional Ambassador of INJAZ Arabia, Queen Rania has taught classes, joined youth around the world in frank dialogue sessions, and launched INJAZ’s presence elsewhere in the Arab world. At the 2008 World Economic Forum in Davos, she launched the "Empowering One Million Arab Youth by 2018" campaign, which was conceived by INJAZ Arabia.

Ensuring educational and job opportunities for youth is also why Queen Rania initiated the Al Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans in 2003. She has also partnered with a various number of international universities providing scholarships for Jordanian students to study abroad.

Global agenda
No matter where we come from... what we look like... how we dress... or to whom we pray... when it comes to what makes us laugh or cry... when it comes to what we dream of for ourselves and for our children... when it comes to how hard we work each day... we are usually more alike than we are different.
An extract from a keynote address given to Harvard University by Queen Rania Al Abdullah, May 3, 2007.

Global education
In November 2000, in recognition of her commitment to the cause of children and youth, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) invited Queen Rania to join its Global Leadership Initiative. The Queen works alongside other world leaders, including former South African President Nelson Mandela, in a global movement seeking to improve the welfare of children. In January 2007, Queen Rania was named UNICEF's first Eminent Advocate for Children. In August 2009, Queen Rania became Honorary Global Chair of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI).

As a long time supporter of the Global Campaign for Education (GCE), Queen Rania met with children and inspirational women in South Africa, both in the cities of Johannesburg and Soweto, in March 2009. Queen Rania and the women took turns reading a short story out of The Big Read to the children, in an effort to encourage literacy. One of the stories in the book, “Maha of the Mountains”, was contributed by Queen Rania. In Soweto, she was the first to write her name in the back of the Big Read, before passing it on to everyone else to write their name.

During her April 2009 US trip, Queen Rania joined leading education advocates Congresswoman Nita Lowey and Counsellor to the Secretary of the Treasury Gene Sperling to launch "The Big Read" as part of Global Campaign for Education's global action week calling for quality basic education for all children. She was also hosted by first lady, Michelle Obama, during that same trip.

On August 20, 2009, Queen Rania co-founded and led the launch of the "1GOAL: Education for All" campaign alongside Gary Lineker, and with the help of top international footballers at Wembley Stadium, London, Britain. Queen Rania is co-founder and global co-chair of the 1GOAL campaign to rally World Cup 2010 fans together during the world’s biggest single sporting event and call on world leaders to give 75 million children out of school an education. On October 6, 2009, Queen Rania was joined by Gordon Brown of the UK, the President of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, and other heads of state, for the Global Launch of 1GOAL, which took place across six locations worldwide. Queen Rania spoke of the need to turn this “tragedy into triumph” and called on political leaders to stand by their aid commitments.

In 2008, Queen Rania participated in YouTube's In My Name campaign. She appeared alongside Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am in the video, "End Poverty - Be the Generation," which urged world leaders to keep the promises they made in 2000 at the United Nations Millennium Summit.

Cross-cultural dialogue
Queen Rania has also been particularly vocal about the importance of cross cultural and interfaith dialogue to foster greater understanding, tolerance and acceptance across the world. She has used her status (Forbes magazine ranks her within the world's 100 most powerful women in 2009) to correct what she sees as misconceptions in the West about the Arab world.

Queen Rania has played a significant role in reaching out to the global community to foster values of tolerance and acceptance, and increase cross-cultural dialogue. For example, regionally and internationally, Queen Rania has campaigned for a greater understanding between cultures in such high profile forums as the Jeddah Economic Forum, the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and the Skoll Foundation in the UK.

In spite of the prevalent misconceptions between the Muslim world and the West, Queen Rania believes that both peoples must look at their similarities, finding the common grounds between them, because our world house has a common room as well. It is a room where color, race, and creed do not get in the way – not because those things do not exist, but because they aren’t important. What’s important in the common room are the values that we share – the basic belief that each of us is worthy of respect, she said addressing her audience at Harvard University in May 2007.

Queen Rania has also used YouTube as a way to promote intercultural dialogue by calling on young people around the world to engage in a global dialogue to dismantle stereotypes of Muslims and the Arab world. She has also made public appearances, including a half-hour television interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show on May 17, 2006, where she spoke about misconceptions about Islam and women's role in Islam. For her work in reaching out across cultures she received the North-South Prize from the Council of Europe in March 2009 and the first ever YouTube Visionary Award in November 2008. For her work in cross-cultural peace dialogue Queen Rania accepted the PeaceMaker Award. from the Non-Profit Seeds of Peace.

International forums and foundations
Queen Rania with Gordon Brown on World Economic Forum 2008In September 2002, Queen Rania joined the World Economic Forum (WEF) Foundation Board. She is also on the Foundation Board of the Forum of Young Global Leaders.

Over the years, Queen Rania has attended WEF many times, and participated in panels, plenary sessions, and private sessions that have dealt with diverse topics, including corporate global citizenship, youth, education reform, women, sustainability, global citizenship, philanthropy, and multiculturalism.

In May 2009, Queen Rania attended the fifth Young Global Leaders Summit at the Dead Sea, Jordan, to address socio-economic challenges facing the region and had trips organized for the Young Global Leaders in which they visited local Madrasati schools, the Jordan River Foundation, and other affiliated organizations.

When it comes to youth, in early 2002 Queen Rania joined the Board of Directors of the International Youth Foundation, based in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. In September 2006, Queen Rania also joined the United Nations Foundation Board of Directors. The UN Foundation builds and implements public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach.

Microfinance
In September 2003, Queen Rania accepted an invitation to join the Board of Directors of the Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA), thus formalizing a relationship of support and advocacy which began in 2000.

An emissary for the United Nations’ International Year of Microcredit in 2005, Queen Rania’s belief in microfinance and her partnership with FINCA has generated more Jordanian micro-businesses, with the official opening of FINCA Jordan in February 2008.

Online
Queen Rania has reaffirmed her reputation as one of the most modern of royals through her use of online social-networking tools such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

YouTube
On 30 March 2008, Queen Rania launched her own YouTube channel, initially to invite viewers to give their opinions of the Middle East and talk about stereotypes they may have of Arabs and Muslims. Between March 30 and August 12 (International Youth Day), Queen Rania posted videos on YouTube in which she asked people to send her their questions about Islam and the Arab world. She provided responses to those questions and explained the truth about various Arab and Muslim stereotypes. Over five months she posted videos on subjects that included honor killings, terrorism and the rights of Arab women. International personalities such as Dean Obeidallah, Maz Jobrani, and YouTube star Mia Rose also contributed videos to the campaign.

Queen Rania also links some of her recent interviews to her YouTube channel, such as her interview with Wolf Blitzer in CNN’s “Situation Room”, in April 2009. During this two part interview, Queen Rania discussed the importance of education. Queen Rania also uploads other videos on topics close to her heart, such as her appeal to support UNRWA’s work in Gaza following the Israeli assault in late December 2008/early January 2009.

Facebook
Queen Rania is also a member of Facebook, with her own fan page aimed at engaging people to discuss cross-cultural dialogue, education, and more recently, the use of social media to create social change. Along with her YouTube videos that have been uploaded, photos of her personal and public life can be found. As of July 8, 2010, over 254,900 people have "Liked" her page.

Twitter
To coincide with the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Jordan on Friday, 8 May 2009, Queen Rania started using the micro-blogging website Twitter with the username @QueenRania. On the occasion of the World Economic Forum held at the Dead Sea in Jordan, June 2009, Queen Rania conducted her first Twitter interview, answering five questions from the general public via her Twitter account.

When she joined Twitter, she also gave an interview with TechCrunch on “how Twitter can help change the world”, where she said It’s about using social media for social change: creating a community of advocates who can use their voices on behalf of the voiceless, or leverage their talents, skills, knowledge, and resources to put more children into classrooms, or pressure their elected representatives to get global education top of the agenda.

Her tweets have ranged from the personal, including photos of herself and her family, to more serious topics like the typhoon Ketsana in the Philippines, the 2009 Iranian election protests, peace in the Middle East, and promoting Jordan, global education, and initiatives like 1GOAL. As of December 17, 2009, seven months after joining the site, Queen Rania had over 1,130,000 followers.

Publications
As a tribute to King Hussein, and on the first anniversary of his death, Queen Rania produced “The King’s Gift”, a children’s book about King Hussein. Proceeds of the book go to the benefit of underprivileged children across Jordan.

Queen Rania's second book, entitled “Eternal Beauty”, which she wrote in celebration of Mother’s Day 2008 tells the story of a young girl’s conversation with a little sheep as she searches for the most beautiful thing in the world. The book was released as part of the Greater Amman Municipality’s contest – Mama’s Story.

For the 2009 Big Read event, Queen Rania wrote “Maha of the Mountains”, which tells of a young girl’s determination to get an education and the challenges she faced.

The Sandwich Swap is a book inspired by an incident in Queen Rania’s childhood. It tells the story of Lily and Salma, two best friends, who argue over the ‘yucky’ taste of their respective peanut butter and jelly and hummus sandwiches. The girls then overcome and embrace their differences. The book was co-authored by Queen Rania and Kelly DiPucchio. It was released in April, 2010. In May, 2010 the book went to the top of the New York Times Bestseller List for children's books.

Titles and styles
Her Majesty The Queen of Jordan (Since 22 March 1999)
Her Royal Highness The Princess Consort of Jordan (7 February 1999 - 22 March 1999)
Her Royal Highness Princess Rania al Abdullah (10 June 1993 - 7 February 1999)
Miss Rania Al Yassin (31 August 1970 - 10 June 1993)

International roles and positions
In November 2000, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) invited Queen Rania to join its Global Leadership Initiative.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2007, Rania was named UNICEF's first Eminent Advocate for Children.
In August 2009, Queen Rania was named Co-Founder and Global Co-Chair of 1GOAL.
July 2009, the United Nations made Queen Rania Honorary Chairperson for the UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI).
For their Global Action Week in April 2009, the Global Campaign for Education named Queen Rania their Honorary Chairperson.
In early 2002, Queen Rania joined the Board of Directors of the International Youth Foundation, based in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States.
In September 2002, Queen Rania became a member of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Foundation Board. She is also on the Foundation Board of the Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGL) and has been the Chairperson for the Nominations and Selection Committee since July 2004, when the forum was established.
In September 2006, Queen Rania joined the United Nations Foundation Board of Directors.
Rania is a member of the Every Child Council for the GAVI Alliance.
Rania is an Honorary Member of the International Advisory Council for the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW).
Queen Rania is Co-Chair of the Arab Open University.
She is Honorary Chairperson of the Jordanian Chapter of Operation Smile.