AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, during a meeting on Sunday evening with a group of young Jordanians at Al Husseiniya Palace, stressed the need for adopting youth’s ideas and encouraging their political engagement, noting that young Jordanians must realise that their voice is heard and has an impact.

 

During the meeting, attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, King Abdullah expressed pride in young Jordanians, noting that they give hope in Jordan’s economic, political and social reform endeavours, according to a Royal Court Statement.

 

His Majesty listened to the young Jordanians’ success stories in various initiatives, as well as their ideas to encourage political engagement among the youth and develop partisan and parliamentary work, as they noted the importance of the King’s Discussion Papers in this regard.

 

The young Jordanians also highlighted their initiatives in youth and political work, as well as interfaith harmony, volunteerism, training and empowering their peers and countering extremism.

 

His Majesty called for benefitting from young people’s ideas and suggestions in development, overcoming economic challenges and reducing poverty and unemployment, the statement said.

 

The King noted young Jordanians’ important role in modernisation, pointing to their many success stories in leading entrepreneurial, voluntary and development-oriented projects.

 

The young Jordanians at the meeting said the government cannot be seen as the main employer, underscoring the importance of entrepreneurship and access to financing facilities for start-up projects and calling for shunning the culture of shame.

 

They said universities should encourage the youth to have a greater role in political life, calling for matching education output with labour market needs.

 

Highlighting the need to promote tourism, the youths said that Jordan has a history of achievements in various fields that must be celebrated, pointing to the importance of a strong media sector that unifies the internal front and highlights these achievements, according to the statement.

 

The young Jordanians called for upholding the rule of law and developing decentralisation to increase public engagement in decision making and policymaking.

 

Warning of the harmful impact of rumours on society, they called for enhancing direct communication between officials and the public.

 

The young attendees expressed support for His Majesty’s position on the Palestinian cause and Jerusalem, and supporting the Palestinian people in seeking their legitimate rights.

 

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi and Adviser to His Majesty for Communication and Coordination Bisher Al Khasawneh attended the meeting.