Queen urges women leaders not to lose sight of their dreams in face of challenges

AMMAN — On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Her Majesty Queen Rania met on Tuesday with more than 100 influential Jordanian women and members of the local chapter of the International Women’s Forum (IWF).

Queen Rania said she admired the women’s accomplishments, and their ability to maintain a healthy balance between their careers and motherhood, according to a statement from Her Majesty's office.

Although she described their achievements as substantial, the Queen explained that women’s participation in society remains modest. 

Queen Rania added that their current level of participation is also below both her and His Majesty King Abdullah’s aspirations for Jordanian women. 

His Majesty is one of the strongest believers in the idea that capability is not defined by gender, the Queen explained.

Her Majesty also acknowledged the urgency for more initiatives like those of the IWF to build the capacity of women. 

She said that in light of regional turmoil, it is becoming even more difficult to empower women and increase their contribution. 

Active roles for women are needed in order to develop an educated, progressive and prosperous society that enjoys coexistence, according to Queen Rania.

ICT Minister Majd Shweikeh, Social Development Minister Reem Abu Hassan, former planning minister Suhair Al-Ali and former tourism minister Suzanne Afanah also attended the meeting.

Participants and entrepreneurs from various sectors, including banking, ICT, health, judiciary, government, and education were also invited.

A number of participants spoke about the skills they gained by participating in the programmes offered by IWF, such as the Leadership Enhancement and Mentoring Programme (LEMP).

LEMP is designed to train and mentor promising women on essential skills needed for successful leadership.

Outgoing IWF president Nabila Morcos said the programme is based on the well-established international modules of the IWF Leadership Foundation Fellows Programme and has been modified to meet the specific needs of Jordanian women.

In the conclusion of her remarks, Her Majesty told the women not to feel discouraged from pursuing their dreams even if they fail in some challenges. 

She urged them not to lose confidence and described failure as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Her Majesty also called on the participants to use their leadership positions to help other women and widen the IWF local network.

IWF is a global network of prominent women that was established in 1982 to help them promote leadership opportunities.