CAIRO: When asked if there is light at the end of the tunnel, His Royal Highness (HRH) Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan replied, “Where is the tunnel?
“According to World Bank figures, per capita income in the Middle East and North Africa Region has declined by 25 percent. The oil boom is a thing of the past, and economic stagnation started to [crawl] into the region, he said.
El Hassan is not pessimistic, rather he considers himself a “realist.
The Prince believed that problems in Arab states were existential, not ideological. He referred to the souring fact that several years of oil boom in the region saw little investment in infrastructure and minimal creation of employment opportunities.
Moreover, the inflow of foreign aid into the region led to a sharp depreciation of domestic currencies, while the agriculture and manufacturing sectors became less competitive and were incapable of creating sufficient job opportunities, he explained.
“The region suffers from insufficient job creation despite a growing GDP, El Hassan said. “At a time when the region requires 100 million new jobs over the next 20 years . new thinking on economic pressures is an urgent priority.
Brother of late King Hussein of Jordan, HRH El Hassan is currently the president and patron of the Arab Thought Forum – an independent pan-Arab NGO that seeks to formulate practical solutions on issues such as reform, development and security, as well as to enhance interaction between Arab intellectuals and decision-makers.
Prince El Hassan has initiated, founded, and is actively involved in a number of Jordanian and international institutes including The Royal Scientific Society, Arab Youth Forum, Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Issues, Parliament of Cultures, and International Commission on Weapons of Mass Destruction.
“Many regions, not least [the Middle East North Africa region], are subject to a serious ‘human dignity divide’ – an unsustainable discrepancy between those included and excluded from power, opportunity, and stake holding, he said.
In order to “put people in control of their own destiny, he continued, the region should work at the public-private partnership level, whereby dynamic non-governmental and civil society actions give citizens channels for self-expression as well as has a “healthy catalytic effect on governmental levels.
El Hassan’s remarks came during his visit to Egypt where he addressed members of Egypt’s International Economic Forum. During his visit, he met with high profile politicians including Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa. He also met with Sheikh Mohamed Sayyid Tantawy and Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria, discussing issues of pluralism and tolerance in Egypt and the Arab World.
He told business and religious leaders that the region was in danger of collapse unless “moderation was given a voice. The Prince also stated that an increasing gap between the rich and the poor would inevitably drive more disaffected young people into the hands of extremists.
He specifically called business leaders to work with politicians and civil society leaders for the empowerment of those excluded from prosperity in the region.
“It is time that our efforts to address common issues took precedence over narrow bilateral disputes. Investment must come in the context of partnerships, promoting the common good, and a contract of generations, El Hassan said. “To really improve our social environment, we must prioritize opportunities for broader inclusion and employment over short-term profits.
Developing an inclusive regional grouping, El Hassan said, could reduce tensions and create norms of reconciliation with a view to a “Co-operative Security Framework for a peaceful resolution of disputes.
El Hassan is a firm believer in enhancing dialogue and understanding among cultures of the world as well as promoting respect for the “other.
In line with his call for humanitarian and cultural outreach, El Hassan has partnered with American NGOs in founding a program called Partners in Humanity that aims to improve understanding between the Muslim world and the US.
“Democracy is a prominent theme in the post-9/11 world, but the question is how diverse societies can move fully into the 21st century without losing cultural authenticity or popular legitimacy, El Hassan stated.
“Unique cultures need not betray their own foundations in order to realize universal human aspirations. Without compromising our core human principles, we can look to a future of diverse democracies and multiple modernity, drawing strength from unity in difference.
