Rania Al-Abdullah ( ar, رانيا العبد الله, ; born Rania Al-Yassin, 31 August 1970) is

Queen of Jordan This is a list of the women who have been queen consort of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan since the emirate was elevated to the status of a kingdom in 1949. As all monarchs of Jordan have been required by law to be male, there has never been ...

as the wife of

King Abdullah II Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein ( ar, عبدالله الثاني بن الحسين , translit=ʿAbd Allāh aṯ-ṯānī ibn al-Ḥusayn; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of t ...

. Rania was born in

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

parents. She received her bachelor's degree in business at

The American University in Cairo The American University in Cairo (AUC; ar, الجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة, Al-Jāmi‘a al-’Amrīkiyya bi-l-Qāhira) is a private research university in Cairo, Egypt. The university offers American-style learning programs ...

. In 1991, following the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, she and her family fled to

Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

, where she met Prince Abdullah of Jordan. Before meeting him, she worked at

Citibank Citibank, N. A. (N. A. stands for " National Association") is the primary U.S. banking subsidiary of financial services multinational Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, and later became First National City ...

and then took a job in the marketing department at

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company b ...

Since marrying Abdullah in 1993, she has become known for her advocacy work related to

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

, health, community empowerment, youth, cross-cultural dialogue and

micro-finance Microfinance is a category of financial services targeting individuals and small businesses who lack access to conventional banking and related services. Microfinance includes microcredit, the provision of small loans to poor clients; savings ...

. Forbes magazine has ranked Rania as one of the world's 100 most powerful women. The 2022

Credit Suisse leaks Suisse secrets was a February 2022 leak of details of more than CHF 100 billion (roughly US$108.5bn, €95.5bn or £80bn) held in nominee accounts linked to over 30,000 clients of Credit Suisse, the largest ever leak from a major Swiss bank. ...

claimed that the Queen had an account in a Swiss bank. A statement by

the Royal Hashemite Court The Royal Hashemite Court (RHC) ( ar, الديوان الملكي الهاشمي, ''Al-Diwan Al-Malaki'' ''Al-Hāshimy''), which is historically known as Al-Maqar ( ar, المقر, ), is the administrative and political link between the King of Jor ...

said the account balance stated in the leak was incorrect and that the account was for the royal couple's children.

Personal life

Early life

Rania Al-Yassin was born on 31 August 1970 in

, to

parents. Her father, (1934–2022) was from

Tulkarm Tulkarm, Tulkarem or Tull Keram ( ar, طولكرم, ''Ṭūlkarm'') is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, located in the Tulkarm Governorate of the State of Palestine. The Israeli city of Netanya is to the west, and the Palestinian cities of N ...

in the

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

. She also has Turkish roots on her maternal grandfather's side. Rania received a degree in

business administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

from the

American University in Cairo The American University in Cairo (AUC; ar, الجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة, Al-Jāmi‘a al-’Amrīkiyya bi-l-Qāhira) is a private research university in Cairo, Egypt. The university offers American-style learning programs ...

. Upon her graduation, she worked briefly in marketing for

, followed by a job with

, Jordan.

Marriage and family

Rania met Jordanian Prince Abdullah bin Al-Hussein at a dinner party in January 1993. On 10 June 1993, they were married. Their wedding ceremony was considered a national holiday. The couple has four children: * Crown Prince Hussein (born 28 June 1994 at

King Hussein Medical Center King Hussein Medical Center (Arabic مدينة الحسين الطبية), is a medical complex of five hospitals situated in Amman, Jordan. The center is affiliated to the major Jordanian Royal Medical Services hospitals; also known as JRMS. JRMS ...

) * Princess Iman (born 27 September 1996 at

) * Princess Salma (born 26 September 2000 at

) * Prince Hashem (born 30 January 2005 at

) Abdullah ascended the throne on 7 February 1999, and proclaimed Rania queen on 22 March 1999.

Areas of work

Since her marriage, Queen Rania has used her position to advocate for various sectors of society in Jordan and beyond.

Domestic agenda

Education

Queen Rania has launched and championed several initiatives in education and learning. Queen Rania has stated that an essential aspect of education is to equip young people with the necessary skills to perform well in the workplace. In July 2005, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the King and Queen launched an annual teachers' award, the Queen Rania Award for Excellence in Education.Queen Rania Award for Excellence in Education
The Queen is Chairperson of Jordan's first interactive children's museum, which opened in May 2007.King, Queen join Jordanian children at opening of children's museum
, Jordan Times, 23 May 2007. In April 2008, the Queen launched "Madrasati" ("My School"), a public-private initiative aimed at refurbishing 500 of Jordan's public schools over a five-year period. Queen Rania also established The Queen Rania Al Abdullah Center for Educational Technology on 6 June 2001, aiming to use modern technology to serve and develop education in Jordan. The Queen Rania Teacher Academy, which was launched in June 2009, provides professional development programs for current and new teachers in partnership with the Ministry of Education. The Queen Rania Scholarship Program partners with several universities from around the world to support scholarships and training for Jordanian students and workers in management, marketing, design, business administration, psychology, engineering, law, and other fields.

Community and youth empowerment

Queen Rania - World Economic Forum on the Middle East Dead Sea Jordan 2007

Queen Rania's first venture was the establishment of the

Jordan River Foundation The "Jordan River Foundation" was founded earlier by Queen Nour Al Hussein, the wife of the late king of Jordan Hussein bin Talal, after the death of king Hussein, queen Nour left her position as the Chair person of "Jordan River Foundation" and t ...

(JRF) in 1995. 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. 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's accession to the throne, Queen Rania launched a community champion award (

Ahel Al Himmeh Ahel Al Himmeh is an award bestowed on Jordanian individuals or groups who have served their communities in outstanding ways. The award was launched by Jordanian Queen Rania Al Abdullah in 2009 in honor of King Abdullah II Abdullah II bin ...

) to highlight the accomplishments of groups and individuals who have helped their local communities. Queen Rania initiated the Al-Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans in 2003. In her capacity as Regional Ambassador of

INJAZ Al-Arab INJAZ Al-Arab (Arabic: إنجاز العرب) is a non-profit organization for education and training in workforce readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship across the Arab World. INJAZ Al-Arab is the Regional Operating Center of JA Wor ...

, Queen Rania has taught classes and engaged in dialogue with young people in other countries; she also launched

's presence elsewhere in the Arab world. She chaired a discussion with entrepreneurs in celebration of INJAZ Al-Arab's 10th anniversary, showcasing alumni's success stories 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.

Health

In 2005, Queen Rania established the Royal Health Awareness Society (RHAS) to educate parents and children about the basics of nutrition and hygiene, the benefits of exercise, the harms of smoking, and other areas related to health. In 2011, the first specialized medical building for children was built in Jordan, Queen Rania Children's Hospital, established to improve the medical service for Jordanian children. The hospital provides for the care of children, especially complex medical cases including organ transplants and endoscopic operations.

Global agenda

Global education

Queen Rania - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2003

In November 2000, in recognition of her commitment to the cause of children and youth, the

United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...

(UNICEF) invited Queen Rania to join its Global Leadership Initiative.Queen Rania Joins UNICEF Leadership Initiative
U.N. Wire, 15 November 2000. In early 2002 Queen Rania joined the Board of Directors of the International Youth Foundation, based in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, in the United States.HM Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan Joins International Youth Foundation's Board
, 22 March 2002. In January 2007, Queen Rania was named UNICEF's first Eminent Advocate for Children.
, UNICEF, Press Centre, 26 January 2007. In August 2009, Queen Rania became Honorary Global Chair of the

United Nations Girls' Education Initiative The United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI) is an initiative launched by the United Nations in 2000 at the World Education Forum in Dakar at the primary school Ndiarème B. It aims to reduce the gap in schooling for girls and to giv ...

(UNGEI).Queen Rania designated as Honorary Global Chair of the United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI)
, UNGEI, 15 July 2009. As a longtime 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. One of the stories in the book, "Maha of the Mountains", was contributed by Queen Rania.
, The Big Read, The Global Campaign for Education, 2009. During her April 2009 US trip, Queen Rania joined leading education advocates Congresswoman

Nita Lowey Nita Sue Lowey ( ) ( Melnikoff; born July 5, 1937) is an American politician who formerly served as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1989 until 2021. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Lowey also served as co-Dean of the New York C ...

and Counsellor to the Secretary of the Treasury

Gene Sperling Eugene Benton Sperling (born December 24, 1958) is an American lawyer who was director of the National Economic Council and assistant to the president for economic policy under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. He is the only person to s ...

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 of the United States,

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

, during that same trip. On 20 August 2009, Queen Rania co-founded and led the launch of the " 1GOAL: Education for All" campaign alongside

Gary Lineker Gary Winston Lineker (; born 30 November 1960) is an English former professional footballer and current sports broadcaster. He is regarded as having been one of the greatest English strikers. His media career began with the BBC, where he has p ...

, and with the help of top international footballers at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

.Queen lends support to 1GOAL initiative
, Jordan Times, 21 August 2009. On 6 October 2009, Queen Rania was joined by Prime Minister

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...

of the UK, the President of

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

Sepp Blatter Joseph "Sepp" Blatter (born Josef Blatter; 10 March 1936) is a Swiss former football administrator who served as the eighth President of FIFA from 1998 to 2015. He has been banned from participating in FIFA activities since 2015 as a result of ...

, President

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...

of South Africa, and other heads of state, for the Global Launch of 1GOAL, which took place across six locations worldwide.Queen joins world leaders in launching 1GOAL campaign
, Jordan Times, 7 October 2009.

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 to correct what she sees as misconceptions in

the West West is a cardinal direction or compass point. West or The West may also refer to: Geography and locations Global context * The Western world * Western culture and Western civilization in general * The Western Bloc, countries allied with NATO ...

about the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

.The 100 Most Powerful Women
,

Forbes Magazine ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also repo ...

, 2011. 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 Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF) ( ar, منتدى جدة الإقتصادي) is a forum held annually since 1999 during winter in the city of Jeddah, western Saudi Arabia. It has become the region's Middle East strategic think tank focusing on regiona ...

Harvard Kennedy School The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

,Keynote Address
, Harvard University, 3 May 2007. and the

Skoll Foundation The Skoll Foundation is a private foundation based in Palo Alto, California. The foundation makes grants and investments intended to reduce global poverty. Jeffrey Skoll created the foundation in 1999. The total assets of the foundation (includi ...

in the UK. She has also made public appearances, including a half-hour television interview on

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...

on 17 May 2006, where she spoke about misconceptions about Islam and especially

women in Islam The experiences of Muslim women ( ''Muslimāt'', singular مسلمة ''Muslimah'') vary widely between and within different societies. At the same time, their adherence to Islam is a shared factor that affects their lives to a varying degree ...

. She received the

North-South Prize ''North-South'' ( hy, Հյուսիս-Հարավ) or ''Four Buddies and the Bride'' is an Armenian comedy directed by Davit Babakhanyan and Vazgen Muradyan, starring Diana Malenko, Sona Shahgeldyan and David Tovmasyan. The film was produced by L ...

from the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...

in March 2009 and the PeaceMaker Award from the Non-Profit

Seeds of Peace Seeds of Peace is a peacebuilding and leadership development organization headquartered in New York City. It was founded in 1993. As its main program, the organization brings youth and educators from areas of conflict to its camp in Maine. It a ...

. In September 2006, Queen Rania also joined the

United Nations Foundation The United Nations Foundation is a charitable organization headquartered in Washington, DC, that supports the United Nations and its activities. It was established in 1998 with a $1 billion gift to the United Nations by philanthropist Ted Turner, ...

Board of Directors.HER MAJESTY QUEEN RANIA JOINS BOARD OF UNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION
, 13 September 2006. 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).FINCA'S FINCA International Welcomes Queen Rania Al Abdullah, First Lady of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, to Its Board of Directors
, 15 September 2003. An emissary for the United Nations'

International Year of Microcredit International Year of Microcredit is a special event of the United Nations which took place in the year 2005. The event highlighted microfinance as an instrument for socioeconomic development. The event was launched on November 18, 2004. Goals ...

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.

Environment

In October 2020, Queen Rania was named as a member of the Earthshot Prize Council, an initiative of

Prince William William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...

to find solutions to environmental issues.

Online

YouTube

Queen Rania has used

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

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. On 30 March 2008, Queen Rania launched her own YouTube channel, initially to invite viewers to give their opinions of the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

and talk about

stereotypes In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...

they may have of Arabs and Muslims. Between 30 March and 12 August (

International Youth Day International Youth Day (IYD) is an list of minor secular observances#August, awareness day designated by the United Nations. The purpose of the day is to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. The first I ...

), Queen Rania posted videos on YouTube in which she asked people to send her their questions about

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

and the Arab world. She provided responses to those questions and explained her view of the truth about various Arab and Muslim stereotypes. Over five months she posted videos on subjects that included

honour killing An honor killing (American English), honour killing (Commonwealth English), or shame killing is the murder of an individual, either an outsider or a member of a family, by someone seeking to protect what they see as the dignity and honor of t ...

s, terrorism and the rights of Arab women. International personalities such as

Dean Obeidallah Dean Obeidallah (born December 17, 1969) is an American lawyer, comedian, and journalist. He is the host of SiriusXM Progress' ''The Dean Obeidallah Show'' and a frequent contributor to CNN, The Daily Beast, and MSNBC. Obeidallah was born in N ...

Maz Jobrani Maziyar Jobrani ( fa, مازیار جبرانی; born February 26, 1972) is an American comedian and actor who was part of the "Axis of Evil" comedy group. The group appeared on a comedy special on Comedy Central. Jobrani has also appeared in nu ...

, and YouTube star

Mia Rose Mia Rose (born Maria Antónia Teixeira Rosa; 26 January 1988) is an English-born singer-songwriter of Portuguese descent, notable for her popularity on the video sharing website YouTube. Career Mia Rose was born in Wimbledon, London. Rose open ...

also contributed videos to the campaign. In 2008, Queen Rania participated in YouTube's In My Name campaign. She appeared alongside

The Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hil ...

member

will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. ...

in the video, "End Poverty – Be the Generation," which urged world leaders to keep the promises they made in 2000 at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Millennium Summit The Millennium Summit was a meeting among many world leaders, lasting three days from 2000, held at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Its purpose was to discuss the role of the United Nations at the turn of the 21st century. At ...

. She received the first ever YouTube Visionary Award in November 2008.

Twitter

To coincide with the visit of

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

to Jordan on Friday, 8 May 2009, Queen Rania started using the

micro-blogging Microblogging is a form of social network that permits only short posts. They "allow users to exchange small elements of content such as short sentences, individual images, or video links",. Retrieved June 5, 2014 which may be the major reason for ...

website

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

with the

username A user is a person who utilizes a computer or Computer network, network Service (systems architecture), service. A user often has a user account and is identified to the system by a username (or user name). Other terms for username includ ...

@QueenRania. On the occasion of the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...

held at the

Dead Sea The Dead Sea ( he, יַם הַמֶּלַח, ''Yam hamMelaḥ''; ar, اَلْبَحْرُ الْمَيْتُ, ''Āl-Baḥrū l-Maytū''), also known by other names, is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank ...

, June 2009, she 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 TechCrunch is an American online newspaper focusing on high tech and startup companies. It was founded in June 2005 by Archimedes Ventures, led by partners Michael Arrington and Keith Teare. In 2010, AOL acquired the company for approximately ...

on "how Twitter can help change the world", where she said ''It's about using social media for

social change Social change is the alteration of the social order of a society which may include changes in social institutions, social behaviours or social relations. Definition Social change may not refer to the notion of social progress or sociocult ...

: 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''.

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 him. Proceeds of the book go to the benefit of underprivileged children across Jordan. (,

Michael O'Mara Books Michael O'Mara Books is a small, family-run, privately owned publishing house in the United Kingdom. Established in London in 1985, by an American expatriate, Michael O'Mara, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his British wife, Lesley, ...

, 2000) * Her 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 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' is a book inspired by an incident in her 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 A peanut butter and jelly sandwich (PB&J) consists of peanut butter and fruit preserves—jelly—spread on bread. The sandwich may be open-faced, made of a single slice of bread folded over, or made using two slices of bread. The sand ...

and hummus sandwiches. The girls then overcome and embrace their differences. The book was co-authored by Queen Rania and Kelly DiPucchio.(, Hyperion Books, 20 April 2010) In May 2010 the book went to the top of the

New York Times Bestseller List ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

for children's books.

Affiliations

Queen Rania campaigned for

Petra Petra ( ar, ٱلْبَتْرَاء, Al-Batrāʾ; grc, Πέτρα, "Rock", Nabataean Aramaic, Nabataean: ), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu or Raqēmō, is an historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan. It is adjacent to t ...

to be voted as one of the

New 7 Wonders of the World The New 7 Wonders of the World was a campaign started in 2000 to choose Wonders of the World from a selection of 200 existing monuments. The popularity poll via free Web-based voting and small amounts of telephone voting was led by Canadian-Swiss ...

, including personally welcoming New7Wonders to Petra during its official World Tour.

International roles and positions

*In November 2000, the

(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 1GOAL Education for All campaign is run by the Education Week Foundation (India). Working with football and the footballing community, 1GOAL raises public awareness and involvement in achieving education for all the 67 million children out of schoo ...

. *July 2009, the United Nations made Queen Rania Honorary Chairperson for the

(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 International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

, based in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. *In September 2002, Queen Rania became a member of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Foundation Board.Queen Rania, Member of the World Economic Forum Foundation Board
World Economic Forum. 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.
, World Economic Forum. *In September 2006, Queen Rania joined the

Board of Directors. *Rania was a member of the

Every Child Council Every may refer to: People * Every (surname), including a list of people surnamed Every or Van Every * Every Maclean, New Zealand politician in sunda 19th century * Every baronets, a title in the Baronetage of England Other * Suzuki Every, a kei ...

for the GAVI Alliance. *Rania was an Honorary Member of the International Advisory Council for the

International Center for Research on Women The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, with regional offices in New Delhi, India, Nairobi, Kenya, and Kampala, Uganda. ICRW has project offices in Mumba ...

(ICRW). *Queen Rania is Co-Chair of the

Arab Open University The Arab Open University (AOU) is a non-profit university. The inception of AOU is a personal initiative by Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Chairman of the AOU Board of Trustees. In December 2000, Kuwait was designated to host the Headqu ...

. *She was Honorary Chairperson of the Jordanian Chapter of

Operation Smile Operation Smile is a nonprofit medical service organization founded in 1982 by Dr. William P. Magee Jr. and his wife Kathleen (Kathy) S. Magee. It is headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In addition to providing cleft lip and palate repair ...

Honours

Foreign

*: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (18 May 2016) * : Member First Class of the Most Esteemed

Family Order of Laila Utama The Most Esteemed Family Order of Laila Utama ( ms, Darjah Kerabat Laila Utama Yang Amat Dihormati) is an order of Brunei. It was established on 1 March 1954 by Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III. The order carries the post-nominal letters "DK" as ...

(13 May 2008) *: Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking ...

(19 October 2009) * : ** Grand Cross of the

Order of Saint James of the Sword The Military Order of Saint James of the Sword ( pt, Ordem Militar de Sant'Iago da Espada) is a Portuguese order of chivalry. Its full name is the Ancient, Most Noble and Enlightened Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, of the Scientifi ...

(16 March 2009) ** Grand Cross of the Order of Infante Henry (5 March 2008) *: ** Dame Grand Cross of the

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III ( es, Real y Distinguida Orden Española de Carlos III, originally es, Real y Muy Distinguida Orden de Carlos III) was establ ...

(21 April 2006)Royal Decree 502/2006
. Boletin Oficial del Estado (BOE). Reference: BOE-A-2006-7242. ** Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (18 October 1999)

Awards

*2001: Life Achievement Award of International Osteoporosis Foundation, Italy *2002: Ambrogino D'Oro Award from the Municipality of Milan, Italy *2002: Gold Medal of the President of the Italian Republic from Pio Manzù International Research Center, Italy *2003: German Media Award from Deutscher Medienpreis, Germany *2005: Golden Plate Award,

Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet o ...

, USA *2005: Sesame Workshop Award from Sesame Workshop, USA *2007: Mediterranean Prize for Social Solidarity from the Mediterranean Foundation in Italy *2007: Global Humanitarian Action Award from UNSA-USA and the Business Council of the UN, USA *2007: Bambi Award for Attention Based Charity by Hubert Burda Media, Germany *2007: John Wallach Humanitarian Award from Seeds of Peace, USA *2008: World Savers Award from Conde Nast Traveler, USA *2008: David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award from Synergos University, USA *2009: The Marisa Bellisario International Award from the Fondazione Bellisario, Italy *2009: North South Prize by the North South Prize, Portugal *2009: FIFA Presidential Award, Switzerland *2010: Arab Knight of Giving Award from Arab Giving Forum, UAE *2010: The Leadership Award from White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, USA *2010: James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award from Tech Awards, USA *2010: Glamour's 2010 Woman of the Year, USA *2013: Atlantic Council's Global Citizen Award, USA *2015: Walther Rathenau Award from Walther Rathenau Institut, Germany *2015: World Childhood Award from Queen Silvia's World Childhood Foundation, USA *2016: Andrea Bocelli Humanitarian Award, Italy *2016: Foreign Press Association's Humanitarian Award, UK *2016: The Golden Heart Award, Germany *2016: Medal of Honor for Women from Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid, presented by his Son Sheikh Hamdan at the Global Women Forum in Dubai *2017: Global Trailblazer Award, USA *2017: The Fellowship Award from Fashion for Relief in Recognition of Her Majesty's Humanitarian Efforts Towards Children Caught in Conflict, France *2018: The Influential Personality of the Year Award, at the third annual Arab Social Media Influencers Summit (ASMIS) in Dubai *2020: The PWI Most Beautiful Woman In The World Award 2020 *2022: Zayed Award for Human Fraternity 2022 *2022: Path to Peace Award 2022

Honorary doctorates

* 2001 Honorary Doctorate in Law (LLD) from the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...

, UK. * 2008 Honorary Doctorate Degree in Educational Sciences from the

University of Jordan The University of Jordan ( ar, الجامعة الأردنية), often abbreviated UJ, is a public university located in Amman, Jordan. Founded in 1962 by royal decree, it is the largest and oldest institution of higher education in Jordan. ...

. * 2008 Honorary Doctorate in International Relations from the

University of Malaya The University of Malaya ( ms, Universiti Malaya, UM; abbreviated as UM or informally the Malayan University) is a public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest and highest ranking Malaysian institution of highe ...

, Malaysia. * 2015 Honorary Doctorate in "Science Development and International Cooperation" from the University of Sapienza, Italy.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rania Of Jordan, Queen 1970 births Living people The American University in Cairo alumni Apple Inc. employees Arab Open University staff Arab queens Citigroup employees Jordanian Internet celebrities Jordanian royal consorts Jordanian feminists Jordanian Muslims Jordanian people of Palestinian descent UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors Jordanian YouTubers Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Dames Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Grand Cordons of the Order of the Precious Crown Proponents of Islamic feminism Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany United Nations Foundation People from Tulkarm Princesses by marriage United Arab Emirates Health Foundation Prize laureates