His Majesty King Abdullah II in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania and their son His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah to inaugurate the 27th Annual meeting and business Forum of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), held at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre at the Dead Sea shores.

His Majesty gave the keynote speech to launch the meeting followed by Her Majesty. During his speech stressed that the highest national priority and his personal priority is to provide a better life for all Jordanians.


He also re-emphasizes the position in which Jordan will play on the world stage. With this reference '' This is Jordan’s path. Our highest priority, my highest priority, is a better life for our people. For decades, Jordanians in government, business, education, and civil society have worked together for consensus-driven change, change that will last. 

كلمة جلالة الملك عبدالله الثاني خلال الجلسة الافتتاحية للاجتماع السنوي الـ27 لمجلس محافظي البنك الأوروبي لإعادة الإعمار والتنمية

His Majesty King Abdullah II’s speech at the opening of the 27th Annual Meeting & Business Forum of the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development pic.twitter.com/FJJOG3aghh

— RHC (@RHCJO) May 9, 2018

Our economic program rests, first, on our greatest national asset, the talented, aspiring Jordanian people, the vast majority of whom are young. We see inclusion, gender equality, and the entrepreneurial spirit as vital to our development. National investments in education aim at equipping our young men and women with the right tools to compete on a global level. This investment in our youth, together with our strong encouragement for innovation, has helped Jordan become a pioneering regional leader in ICT, start-ups, and the creative industries. 

Our second great asset is Jordan’s geo-strategic, gateway position connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa. Multiple free-trade agreements give our private sector and its partners access to more than a billion consumers worldwide, including 350 million people right here in the MENA region. Our investment in port facilities and other infrastructure supports global, regional and national opportunities. 

So today, Jordan’s forward-looking economic growth plan focuses on high-value-added sectors across our country. We have identified close to $15 billion in public-private partnership opportunities, in fields as diverse as renewable energy, ICT, infrastructure, construction, healthcare, tourism and financial services. Whether it is free-trade-access manufacturing, or green-economy projects, or professional services, or an entirely new opportunity that you create: Jordan is open for business. 

Following that Her Majesty gave her speech which focuses on education, technology, and artificial intelligence.

She said "We are a civilization on the edge. Every nation is on the brink of a future that none of us fully understands... If we are to make it across the chasm, we cannot do it one small step at a time"

About Technology she continues: For all the challenges that an automated future will hold, it also provides opportunities. Machines and robots will supplement people… but they will not supplant us"




She continues "The answer partly lies in reimagining education— in preparing rising generations to thrive in this new time... it means equipping them to excel in all the ways machines cannot"

About Artificial Intelligence she says: As we grapple with the digital codes that are redefining our lives in real time, there are older codes that still require our attention. Human codes like empathy… compassion… understanding

Artificial intelligence is no match for lived experience. No algorithm’s power will ever equal a human heart