Princess Basma Bint Talal of Jordan
Long-serving human development advocate
Princess Basma Bint Talal of Jordan has worked to promote global issues for nearly 30 years, most notably helping to foster gender equity, development and children’s well-being. An honorary UNDP Human Development Ambassador since May 1993, she has launched a number of national, regional and international initiatives on health, education, population, the environment and the advancement of women. She is committed to strengthening the capacity of local communities and groups and advocating socio-economic development methods that increase community participation.
A judging panel member at the 2002 UNDP Awards for Human Development ceremony, Princess Basma helped choose six National Human Development Reports along with then President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil as winners. "At both the international and national levels, the reports have proved to be an indispensable tool in fostering a more people-centred development process," she explained.
At the launch of the 2003 Human Development Report, she emphasized another reason why such reporting served a vital purpose. “The analysis which the Report provides of the world’s progress in meeting the Millennium Development Goals is in itself a masterly achievement, and as an action plan the Millennium Development Compact introduces a valuable tool for helping to reach a wide range of objectives,” she said.
Princess Basma took a leading role in establishing the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development, the Queen Zein Al Sharaf Institute for Development, and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. She was a member of the International Advisory Group to the UN Secretary-General in preparation for the 1995 Conference on Women. She is a UN Population Fund Goodwill Ambassador, and a member of the UNESCO International Advisory Board of the International Council on Social Welfare and the UNESCO International Panel on Democracy and Development.
link:
http://www.undp.org/dpa/goodwill/basma.html