Millennium Development Goals

Now, before you reach for your red pens, or tut that the Queen of Jordan can’t do math, let me explain.

I’m talking about the sum of Millennium Development Goals 2 and 3, and the impact they have on the eight MDGs created in 2000 to tackle poverty once and for all.

[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7JTZ_VKi3Y]]

Thank you, Derrick.

I once read that to achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan…and not quite enough time!

After two days of discussions and renewed commitments, I’m pleased that we now have a plan to achieve the MDGs. With only five years to go until our deadline, we certainly don’t have “quite enough time.”

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department- New York) - Queen Rania spoke about the importance of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), at a reception hosted by the United Nations Foundation (UNF) to mark the end of the MDG summit that took place over the past couple of days in New York.

When you were a child, did you ever pull the blankets over your head and call down to your parents, "Do I have to go to school today?" I certainly did. And now that I'm a parent, I occasionally hear the phrase too.
Yet, I was fortunate to be able to take my education for granted.

Around the world, over 80 million children never set foot in a classroom.

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department – New York) Speaking at a United Nations Foundation’s event in New York, Wednesday, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah urged world leaders and the global community to refocus their commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goals by the 2015 deadline.

(As it appeared in the Huffington Post)

Ironic. The peace conference, that brought me to South Africa, has been postponed.

A gathering billed to bring people together... that symbolized the power of dialogue and intercultural understanding... that was to be a medium for solutions to ongoing conflicts around the world has, instead, polarized opinions, fuelled frustration, and caused divisions.

(As it appeared in Slate)

(As it appeared in Slate)

Woke up this morning, and the first thing I did was phone my son Hashem to see how he was feeling. He was napping, and I didn't get much out of him, but it was still comforting to hear his sleepy little voice. I can't wait to give him a big cuddle.

(As it appeared in Slate)

It's not often that my morning starts with a really catchy tune, played live on a New York street corner by one of the coolest and most talented musicians around. But this one did. And it was all for a great cause. I can't wait to tell my eldest son, Hussein.