The Great Transition
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II over the past 25 years of this century, has witnessed a great transition into the modern state, embodied in the continuation of building institutions, as well as major administrative, economic, social and cultural changes. The result is years of prosperity, building, and resilience in the face of difficult challenges. In parallel, the State preserved its core values and traditions, with keenness on renewal and openness to the new world and era.
The fourth Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a historic continuation of the eras of the Hashemite kings who have an extended history of safeguarding the homeland for over 100 years, while maintaining progress and modernisation.
His Majesty King Abdullah II’s approach has given utmost attention to the national Jordanian identity; it is a purely Jordanian approach that focuses on modernising the country and enhancing its resilience. This approach has utilised Jordan’s openness to the world, Arab states, and the region, and has sought self-reliance, protecting national independence, and economic resilience to withstand regional and global turbulence.
On 11 April 2021, Jordan celebrated the State’s centennial. On this occasion, His Majesty introduced the country to a new phase when he announced the project to modernise the Jordanian state in its second centennial, urging all Jordanians to always look ahead and take the initiative. This spirit is meant to spread particularly among youth, who shoulder the responsibility of building the future of the Jordanian State in the second quarter of this century, as indicated by His Majesty, “As I see the upcoming phase demanding fresh blood to implement modernisation, I urge all state institutions and those in leadership positions to support young people and women—in deeds, not words—and to enable them to enhance their role in the political arena; for the future belongs to them, and we have to make way for their progress. My promise to them is not to allow the stifling of their dreams of modernisation and development”.
The pathway that His Majesty launched is a real translation of the ideas and visions that were highlighted in the Royal Discussion Papers released by the King years earlier, which reiterate the gradual approach to progress and modernisation, including the modernisation of the State in its political and administrative institutions, as well as its economic options. Consequently, His Majesty directed the government to start with three political, economic, and administrative modernisation tracks.
Jordanians look forward with their leadership to the upcoming decade with optimism and trust, as they continue to modernise their country as envisioned by the King: a democracy built on platform-based partisan parliaments that are based on merit and national competition.
Jordanians look forward with their leadership to a new phase of national economic modernisation characterised by enhanced self-reliance, the translation of the Economic Modernisation Vision into tangible projects, and the capitalisation on national resources, especially human resources, through education, training, and capacity building, in addition to moving forward with national mega-projects in transportation, energy, water, and technology that enhance the sources of strength for society and the State.
Jordanians look forward with their leadership to a decade whereby they have completed the modernisation of Jordan’s public administration and building on its legacy, while maintaining the quality of legislation, boosting good governance, and improving public services and quality of life for all.
His Majesty King Abdullah II will always remain the voice of all Jordanians, the guarantor of freedom, justice, integrity, and transparency, the defender of national and regional causes, and of Jordanian, Arab, and Muslim values and heritage, as well as the image of Islam. He will always remain the one who follows in the footsteps of his Hashemite ancestors, the closest to everyone, the one keen on Jordan’s strength, prosperity, and resilience, and the one who pushes young Jordanians and future generations to unleash their potential and utilise their immense talents to take this country to further heights.
As Jordanians eye a new decade, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, with the historic transformations that will unfold in various fields, they realise that their nation’s journey has historically been a success story in taking on challenges, with Jordan growing more persistent as it continues building, modernising, seizing opportunities, and overcoming crises by transforming them into opportunities for the future.