Prince Hassan turns 69 today

AMMAN — Sunday marks the 69th birthday of HRH Prince Hassan.

Prince Hassan strongly believes in the human rights for self-respect, dignity and social justice, and these values have been at the epicentre of his work as a main priority that he has always called for, according to a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

The past year has seen the prince undertake numerous engagements and initiatives at the local, regional and international levels, which focused on regional issues, human security, water, energy, interfaith dialogue, human dignity and building bridges between peoples.

Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Prince Hassan attended the fifth Extraordinary Islamic Summit on Palestine and Jerusalem, which was held earlier this month in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

In an address the prince delivered on behalf of King Abdullah, he stressed Jordan’s commitment to continuing with confronting and addressing Israeli violations in occupied Jerusalem.

Regarding Jerusalem and its Palestinian identity, through the Arab Thought Forum (ATF), which the prince chairs, Prince Hassan adopted several activities that stressed the importance of protecting the holy city of Jerusalem.

At a seminar on Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian sites organised by the ATF in April 2015, Prince Hassan called for forming an international council to safeguard the holy city and its Islamic and Christian sites, calling for adopting a strategy to also support the steadfastness of Jerusalemites by taking an official Arab, Muslim, Christian and international stance on attempts to divide Al Aqsa Mosque.

Regarding the Royal discussion papers authored by King Abdullah, Prince Hassan directed the ATF to hold dialogue sessions that provide for intensive research and analysis of the papers’ content. 

These efforts culminated in the publication of a book comprising the outcome of the 17 sessions of free dialogue on the papers.

In Amman in August last year, Prince Hassan attended the launch of the “Arab Economic Charter”, an analytical study of the region’s economies that looks into possibilities of future inter-Arab partnerships

The charter paves the way for studying the situation of the development process in the Arab world and its future. It was accredited by several Arab governments.

During several meeting with young people, organised by Jordanian universities, the prince urged young Jordanians to take part in devising solutions for community challenges and to focus on scientific research.

As president of the Higher Council for Science and Technology and the West Asia–North Africa (WANA) Institute, Prince Hassan has noted in his speeches that solutions related to water, energy and food security should be based on general policies of integration and investing in Arab expertise and resources.

This is in addition to his belief in the importance of having an accurate knowledge base that helps in shaping policies and drawing up development plans.

Over the past year, Prince Hassan remained committed to bolstering understanding and dialogue between the followers of different faiths and cultures throughout the world, at a time when violence has dramatically increased and exclusion of the other has been rampant.

Last year, King Abdullah bestowed the Order of the Hashemite Star on Prince Hassan for his distinguished contributions and services to the Kingdom.

Last week, Poland President Andrzej Duda awarded the 1st class Polish Order of Merit to the prince, for his efforts in supporting and enhancing dialogue among cultures and followers of different religions, as well as enhancing bilateral relations.

Prince Hassan also continues to support self-defence sports as chair of the Higher Council for Self-Defence Sports.

Through his institutes: The Royal Scientific Society, the Royal Institute of Inter-Faith Studies, the ATF, the Higher Council for Science and Technology, the WANA Institute and El Hassan Youth Award, along with many of their umbrella organisations, Prince Hassan is working to serve Jordanians and the broader interests of the region, the statement said.