JEDDAH, 19 January 2004 — Jordan’s Queen Rania yesterday highlighted the private sector’s social responsibility in promoting growth and prosperity.
She was speaking on the link between a conscientious private sector and prosperity on Day 2 of the Jeddah Economic Forum.
In her afternoon keynote address, Queen Rania pointed out that at the beginning of this century, much of the region was struggling with outdated notions which have become barriers to growth.
She also looked at how Jordan has been able to become one of the Arab world’s success stories despite having so few natural resources. Its only real resources are its people.
“All of our governments have work to do in becoming more open and transparent. We must develop the means for receiving and acting on popular concerns and suggestions,” she said. Her focus was on what people can do; she fears that instead of creating a culture of participation, a culture of expectation has been created.
Queen Rania said if nations wanted to thrive in a knowledge-based economy, they must begin with the premise that the best way to acquire knowledge is to share it openly. “Our fellow citizens are the shareholders of the future we hope to build and we need their informed engagement, constructive criticism and strong support.”
Though she believes that privatization is the way to develop an economy, she accepted that despite its benefits, the Jordanian public is still suspicious. The reason, she said, was that the private sector had not done enough to convince the public of the advantages of privatization. But likewise, “skepticism of government intentions is a worldwide phenomenon,” she said.
Queen Rania went on to say that that was why the private sector should not depend on the government to raise public awareness and inform the public. “It’s only with the organized support of independent civic groups that governments can get enough public support to make difficult reforms a genuine reality.”
She said people naturally trusted NGOs more than governments. “That is why I urge you to measure your business strength and success not only by your profit margin but also by your power of persuasion. Channel that power not only upward but throughout society. In practical terms, this means three things: Organization, organization, organization.”
The queen emphasized that governments in the region must find a way to reach out to the public, to listen to its concerns, to answer its questions and to empower it with the information needed to see problems and solutions more clearly.
“Our region can reach beyond the limits of what is to what could be. Your power of persuasion can help light the path to a brighter future for us all,” the queen added.
