Queen Rania in New York

As UNICEF’s first eminent advocate for children and also a member of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel (HLP), Queen Rania accompanied her husband King Abdullah II of Jordan during his visit to New York City last week to attend the 2013 UN General Assembly.

The Queen’s first appearance was on September 23rd, when she attended the “Education Cannot Wait” conference which was organized to support the UN Secretary General’s Global Education First Initiative (GEFI).

Queen Rania addressed the participants and said, “As a mother, as a proud advocate for UNICEF, and as a member of the global community, it makes me angry that education in emergencies is such a low priority and so terribly underfunded.” She added, “It’s hard to understand the indifference of decision-makers when the evidence for education in crises is so compelling and heartbreaking. They need education now.”

On the next day, Queen Rania participated in the Clinton Global Initiative discussions and attended the Global Citizen Awards ceremony, where she presented Malala Yousafza, a young Pakistani education activist, with the civil society award.

The Queen concluded her visit to New York City by receiving the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award presented to her in recognition of her humanitarian efforts and the role she plays to support global education.

Filed under Jordan
Tagged Awards, Children, Education, Humanitarian Efforts, Patronage, Queen Rania al-Abdullah of Jordan, UNICEF, United Nations, United States of America, Working Visit.

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