On Tuesday, November 24, 2015, Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan met with the Director-General of the Arab Reading Challenge, Ms. Najla Al Shamesi, in Amman.

During their meeting Her Majesty was informed about the Arab Reading Challenge initiative which “…supports for efforts to increase awareness on the importance of reading among students in the Arab world…” writes the Jordan Times.  

Established in September 2015 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai the Arab Reading Challenge is noted to be largest project aimed at encouraging students in the Arab world to read, with more than a million students committing to read 50 million extracurricular books every academic year.

Overall, the initiative aims to encourage reading on a continuous basis through a comprehensive system of incentives and follow-up mechanisms throughout the academic year.  The Emirates News Agency notes that the “…challenge also includes several rounds of evaluation and qualification at the level of each school, educational zone, country, and finally the Arab world. The challenge seeks to create a new generation with excellent reading skills and a thirst for knowledge.”

On Monday, November 23, 2015, Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Royal Health Awareness Society(RHAS) in Amman.

During today’s celebrations Her Majesty viewed an exhibition which represents all programs implemented by RHAS such as the the Donors’ Zone, Youth Zone, where volunteers shared their stories, Community Zone, which highlights clinics with beneficiaries, and the Schools Zone.

On the morning of Wednesday, November 11, 2015, Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan welcomed the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, and his wife, First Lady Andri Moustakoudes, to Amman, Jordan.

After the official welcoming ceremony at Al-Husseiniya Palace His Majesty and President Anastasiades held a meeting where discussions focused on strengthening bilateral as well as economic ties between Jordan and Cyprus.

On Monday, November 9, 2015, Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan attended a memorial service, held at the Amman Martyrs Garden, for the victims of the November 9, 2005 Amman bombings.

At least 53 people innocent lives were lost and 120 people were injured in “…blasts that rocked three hotels in the Jordanian capital…” according to AFP News.

On Tuesday, October 20, 2015, His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan met with the President of Tunisia, Mr. Beji Caid Essebsi, at the royal palace in Amman.  The purpose of today’s visit was to strengthen bilateral and economic relations between Jordan and Tunisia.

Petra News writes that during today’s meeting His Majesty stated that:

“…Jordan and Tunisia are facing common challenges, particularly economic, and specifically the fight against poverty and unemployment, in addition to dealing with the refugee problem in both countries.

The King congratulated President Essebsi on the international appreciation and recognition Tunisia’s democratic experience has won, through awarding the Nobel Prize for peace for the Tunisian national dialogue quartet.

King Abdullah said Jordan and Tunisia share common characteristics that should pave the way towards greater cooperation in addressing challenges and building stronger partnerships in various fields.”

On Thursday, October 8, 2015, Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan attended day 1 of the 2015 Women in the World Summit held at Cadogan Hall in London.  The focus of the two-day summit will “…highlight a new Generation Girl platform that will amplify the authentic voices of young women leaders and showcase role models for girls…” according to a press release.

During the gathering Her Majesty gave a one-on-one interview with the founder of Women for Women International, Ms. Zainab Salbi.