Abdullah Ensour ( ; ar, عبد الله النسور '; born 20 January 1939) is a Jordanian economist who served as the 40th

Prime Minister of Jordan The prime minister of Jordan is the head of government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The prime minister is appointed by the king of Jordan, who is then free to form his own Cabinet. The Parliament of Jordan then approves the programs ...

between October 2012 and May 2016. A veteran politician, he has held various cabinet positions in Jordanian government in addition to being prime minister.

Early life

Ensour was born in

Salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

. He studied at the American University of Beirut where he obtained his bachelor's degree in statistics. He then continued to get his master's degree in institutions management, at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in the United States. He also obtained his PhD in planning at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University

Positions Held, Current & Previous

Senatorial Posts

- Member of the House of Representatives 1989–1993, 1993–1995, 2010–2012 Committees: * Chairman of the Finance and Economic Committee. * Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. * Member of the Committee on Education and Higher Education. - Member of the Senate Council 1997–2009, 2008–2010, 2016–2020 Committees: * Member of the Finance Committee. * Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Ministerial Positions

* Minister of Planning. * Minister of Education. * Minister of Foreign Affairs. * Minister of Industry and Trade. * Minister of Higher Education. * Minister of Administrative Development. * Media Minister. * Deputy Prime Minister. * Prime Minister and Minister of Defense.

Experiences and Memberships, Current and Previous Councils

* Director General of the Budget Department. * The Ministry of Finance Secretary General. * Director General of the Income Tax Department. * Governor of Jordan at the World Bank. * Deputy Governor of Jordan at the International Monetary Fund. * Jordan's permanent delegate to UNESCO. * Chairman of the Jordanian-French Business Club Management. * Member of the Royal Commission National Ajenda. * Chairman of the Royal Commission to strengthen national integrity system. * The official spokesman and a member of the Royal Commission for Jordan First. * Chairman of the Higher Education Council. * Chairman of the board of trustees of the University of Jordan Zaitouna. * Vice Chairman of the board of trustees of the University of Science and Technology. * Vice Chairman of the board of trustees of the Balqa Applied University. * Vice Chairman of the board of trustees of the Hashemite University. * Member of the board of trustees of the University of Jordan. * Member of the board of rights in the University of Jordan. * Administrative and financial director of the Royal Scientific Society. * Member of the National Commission for Development Planning. * Chairman of the Supreme Council for the fight against illiteracy. * Chairman of the cement company. * Vice chairman of the phosphate company. * Vice chairman of the Iraqi Jordanian Land Transport Company. * Member of the board of management of Bank of Jordan. * Member of the Council of Arab African International Bank. * Member of the Council of Arab Company for Investment Management. * Member of the board of directors of Aqaba Railway. * Member of the board of Royal Jordanian Management. * Member of the board of Jordan Investment Corporation management. * Member of the board of management the authority of the port of Aqaba. * Member of the board of Jordan Enterprise Manager for the development of economic projects. * Board member of Emaar Salt Foundation. * Board member of the Noor Al Hussein Foundation. * Board member of the Queen Alia Fund Management. * Chairman of the newspaper ''Voice of the People''. * Chairman of the board of directors Haya Cultural Center. * Chairman of the graduates of French universities Club. * Member of the board graduates of American universities Club. * Teacher and director in the Ministry of Education.

Career

Ensour was first elected as a deputy to the Jordanian Parliament in 1989, again in 1992, and a third time in . His first ministerial post was as Minister of Planning in 1984. He then became Minister of Planning again in 1985; he also served as Minister of Education (1989); Minister of Foreign Affairs (1991); Minister of Industry and Trade (1993); Minister of Higher Education (1996); Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Administrative Development (1997); and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Information (1998). He also served in the parliament in the lower house of representatives from 1989 to 2001. Ensour was also governor of Jordan to the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

, deputy of Jordan to the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glo ...

and deputy permanent delegate to

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

; he sits on a number of boards including the Arab African Bank, Nuackchott (President); 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. ...

(vice-president); and the French Universities' Graduates in Jordan (Honorary President). In October 2012, he was appointed as Prime Minister by King Abdullah II, replacing

Fayez Tarawneh Fayez Tarawneh ( ar, فايز الطراونة; '; 1 May 1949 – 15 December 2021) was a Jordanian independent politician, who served twice as the 31st Prime Minister of Jordan, and also as Chief of the Royal Hashemite Court. Early life and ed ...

. After general elections in January 2013, King Abdullah reappointed Ensour as Prime Minister on 9 March 2013. His second cabinet was sworn in on 30 March 2013. His term ended on 29 May 2016. Ensour is a member of

Prague Society for International Cooperation The Prague Society for International Cooperation is a Prague-based non-governmental organization that originated in communist Central Europe, when political dissidents joined forces to oppose their respective regimes. Though several of its membe ...

, a respected NGO whose main goals are networking and the development of a new generation of responsible, well-informed leaders and thinkers.

Personal life

Ensour married twice. His first wife, Ms. Hala Khleifat, from whom he has three children with, died in 2015. Ensour's second marriage was to Ms. Ibtissam Hiary, from whom he has 5 children.

Honours and awards

Supreme Order of the Renaissance The Supreme Order of the Renaissance (, "Medal of the Nahda") is the second knighthood order of the Kingdom of Jordan. History The order was instituted in 1917 by Emir Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca. According to correspondence between the ...

, Wissam Al Nahda, Grand Cordon, وسام النهضة عالي الشأن / Jordan * Order of the Star, Wisam al-Kawkab, Grand Cordon, وسام الكوكب الأردن من الدرجة الأولى / Jordan. *

Order of Independence Order of Independence or Independence Order ( vi, Huân chương Độc lập) is a Vietnamese decoration. Criteria The Vietnamese government states that the decoration "shall be conferred or posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthum ...

, Wisam al-Istiqial'','' Grand Cordon, وسام الإستقلال الأردني من الدرجة الأولى / Jordan * Education Jordanian Medal – Excellence/ Jordan * Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur / France * Order of the Crown, Grand Cross / Belgium * Medal of the President of the Italian Republic / Italy

References

External links