| Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, a great international
stateswoman, has won the hearts of our nation and the world. Born Lisa Najeeb on
August 23, 1951, to a distinguished Arab-American family, she attended schools in Los
Angeles, Washington D.C., New York City and Concord Academy in Massachusetts, before
entering Princeton University in its first co-educational freshman class. After
receiving a B.A. in Architecture and Urban Planning from Princeton University in 1974,
Queen Noor participated in several international urban planning and design projects in
Australia, Iran, the United States and Jordan. In
1976, she traveled throughout the Arab world to research aviation training facilities for
the preparation of a master plan for an Arab Air University to be established in Jordan. Subsequently, she joined the ‘Royal
Jordanian’ airline as Director of Planning and Design Projects.
Her extraordinary life with
her husband, the late King Hussein, began with their marriage in 1978. Throughout
the following 21 years, this charismatic and articulate Queen became a leading voice for
her country and played a major role in promoting international exchange and understanding
of Middle Eastern politics, Arab-Western relations and current global issues throughout
the world.
In 1979, Queen Noor chaired
the National Committee for the International Year of the Child and actively launched a
national immunization campaign, children’s parks and literature programs and an
initiative to establish Jordan’s first children’s hospital. Also that
year, the Queen established the Royal Endowment for the Culture and Education (RECE),
which conducted the first development research on the country’s specific manpower
needs. The RECE provides scholarships for students, with special emphasis on
outstanding women, to pursue their graduate studies in fields vital to Jordan’s
future development.
The
King Hussein Foundation, chaired by Queen Noor, was established by Royal Decree in 1999. The Foundation is a national and international
non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to giving meaningful expression to the
late King’s humanitarian vision and legacy with emphasis on democracy and peace,
education and leadership, environment and health.
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