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Jordan celebrates King’s birthday

By JT - Jan 29,2015 - Last updated at Jan 29,2015

AMMAN – Jordan celebrates His Majesty King Abdullah’s 53rd birthday on Friday.

Born in Amman on January 30, 1962, King Abdullah is the eldest son of His Majesty the late King Hussein and HRH Princess Muna.

A Royal Decree was issued on January 24, 1999 naming him Crown Prince.
The King began his primary education at the Islamic Educational College in Amman, and later attended St Edmund’s School in Surrey, England.

For his secondary education, he attended Eaglebrook School and Deerfield Academy in the US.

King Abdullah joined the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in the United Kingdom in 1980 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1981.

He joined the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army in 1982 as a first lieutenant, moving up the ranks in the military. He also served with the Royal Jordanian Air Force Anti-Tank Wing where he received his wings as well as his qualification as a Cobra attack pilot.

In 1987, the King joined the foreign service faculty of Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and completed an advanced research and study programme in international affairs along with a master’s programme in foreign service affairs.

The King rejoined the military in 1989 and continued to be promoted, becoming commander of the Royal Jordanian Special Forces and Special Operations in 1994 with the rank of brigadier general.

In 1996, the King reorganised the Special Forces to comprise selected units, and was promoted to the rank of major general in 1998.

King Abdullah married Her Majesty Queen Rania on June 10, 1993 and they have four children: Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Hussein, Princess Iman, Princess Salma and Prince Hashem.

Since his accession to the Throne in February 1999, King Abdullah has focused on enhancing the capabilities of Jordanians, entrenching the concept of respect and the dignity of citizens, ensuring the sovereignty of the law, realising equality, justice and equal opportunities for all, in addition to focusing on pushing the development process forward and highlighting the effective role of Jordan in the international arena.

The Kingdom, under His Majesty’s rule, took the initiative to implement political and economic reforms, including constitutional amendments and a new Elections Law, under which the latest parliamentary elections were held on January 23, 2013, triggering the parliamentary government experience that is expected to mature over the coming parliamentary cycles.

The September 2011 constitutional amendments necessitated the enactment of several new laws, including those that mandated the establishment of the Independent Elections Commission and the Constitutional Court.

 

Economy and better living standards for Jordanians

 

On March 29, 2014, the King sent a letter to Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour directing the government to prepare a plan that would result in a stronger economy, in both macroeconomic and monetary aspects, and ensure consistency, increased competitiveness, productivity and self-reliance.

The ultimate goal, His Majesty said, is to achieve comprehensive development and ensure Jordanians get a “decent living and hope for a better future”.

According to Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Hatem Halawani, despite limited resources and regional challenges, the Kingdom has what he termed a promising economy due to sound policies and good ties with the international community. 

Over the past decade, Halawani said, Jordan achieved an average 5 per cent economic growth rate, adding the gross domestic product increased from $8.5 billion in 2000 to over $35 billion last year. 

Per capita income also saw a sharp improvement to grow from $1,740 in 2000 to over $5,000 in 2014, he said. 

Exports of the Kingdom went up from only $1.6 billion in 2000 to around $7 billion last year, the minister said, adding the inflow of foreign investments witnessed a “big” jump also as it exceeded $3 billion last year from around $913 million 15 years ago. 

In the tourism sector, despite ongoing turmoil in the region, particularly in neighbouring countries, Jordan has been able to remain an example of stability and security, with observers calling it an oasis of peace in a turbulent region. 

According to official figures, tourism income increased by 10 per cent in 2014 to reach $2.5 billion compared to $2.3 billion the year before. Tourist numbers also went up to over 960,000 compared to 802,000 visitors in 2013. 

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