Georgetown Honors His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan
His Majesty will receive an honorary degree
Washington, D.C. - Georgetown University honors His Majesty King Abdullah II Bin Al-Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan today with a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.
"We are pleased to honor King Abdullah II in recognition of his skillful statesmanship, outstanding achievements in modernizing Jordan, and his extraordinary leadership in promoting inter-faith understanding," said Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia.
Since his ascension to the throne in 1999, King Abdullah II has continued his late father's commitment to creating a strong and positive moderating role for Jordan within the Arab region and the world, and has worked to establish a just and lasting comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
His Majesty has exerted extensive effort to insuring sustainable levels of economic growth and social development aimed at improving the standard of living of all Jordanians with his "Jordan First" campaign. He is also working towards modernizing Jordan's information technology and educational systems.
Under his reign, Jordan was admitted to the World Trade Organization, and ratified agreements for the establishment of a Free Trade Area with the United States of America, the European Union, the European Free Trade Association countries, and sixteen Arab countries. As a result, Jordan has been cited as an outstanding example of development in the Middle East and North Africa region.
King Abdullah II has also been involved in the drive for national administrative reform, as well as governmental transparency and accountability. In addition, he has been working on the advancement of civil liberties making Jordan one of the most progressive countries in the Middle East. He has also been involved in enacting the necessary legislations that guarantee women a full role in the Kingdom's socio-economic and political life.
In addition, His Majesty launched the "Amman Message" in November 2004, which proclaims Islam's tolerance, humanity and rejection of extremism. Citing specific Qur'anic passages, the Amman Message reminds the world of the true values of Islam and promotes understanding of a religion that honors all human beings and seeks common ground among different faiths and peoples.
King Abdullah II joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom in 1980, and was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in 1981. In 1982, he attended Oxford University where he completed a one-year Special Studies course in Middle Eastern Affairs, and in 1987 he attended Georgetown’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service as a Mid-Career Fellow. There he completed an Advanced Study and Research program in International Affairs, part of the Master of Science in Foreign Service program.
His Majesty became Major-General of the Jordanian Special Forces in 1998, and served in the official capacity of Regent during the reign of his father, the late King Hussein. He is married to Queen Rania and the Royal Couple have four children.
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