Queen Rania Calls for Enhanced Global Action during Crises at World Humanitarian Forum

(Office of Her Majesty – Press Department – New York) - Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah urged the international community on Tuesday to improve collective action in the face humanity’s toughest challenges, stressing that collaboration is essential to solving the world’s shared problems.

Addressing heads of state, UN officials, private sector executives, humanitarian activists, and thought leaders through a pre-recorded virtual message broadcast at the World Humanitarian Forum (WHF) in New York, Queen Rania warned against the temptation for humans to turn inwards and “focus only on narrow self-interest” in times of crises.

“If we step back, if we widen our sights, we see a different picture… one that demands – and reinforces -- our faith in collective action,” Her Majesty explained, underlining the importance of working together as a global community.

Drawing attention to the international community’s shortcomings in acting as a unified front, Her Majesty said “we’re still far from fluent in the language of our common humanity,” warning that poor global cooperation poses a danger to everyone “because we don’t exist in a world of separate boxes, nor do our problems.”

Referencing the global pandemic response, the Queen explained that a stronger “human network” built on better communication would have mitigated the crisis more efficiently.

Her Majesty went on to suggest means for addressing this global collaboration deficit.

“To build forward better, we must upgrade our human connectivity – the virtual and the virtuous,” she explained. “Humanity’s neural network, 8 billion strong, must be powered by common vision and commitment.”

The Queen also stated that despite the need to upgrade connectivity, humanity can still rapidly adapt to hard times, citing the advances made in remote work, online learning, and hybrid education throughout the pandemic.

“If we work together and apply those new lessons, we can not only recover lost learning, but bring new knowledge and promise to people across the globe.”

Convened by The World Humanitarian Forum, the 2021 forum held in New York is a hybrid event taking place between September 21 and 22, featuring main stage discussions with heads of state, and high-level roundtable discussions on issues ranging from climate finance, and emergency responses to blockchain innovations in humanitarian organizations. Prominent figures participating in this year’s forum include, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Former President of Colombia and Noble Peace Prize Laureate, Juan Manuel Santos, 74th President of the UN General Assembly and Ecuador’s Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, and UNICEF’s Global Director of Education, Robert Jenkins.