04 April 2014
Amman: HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan said that Jordan faces demographic and environmental challenges due to scarcity of natural resources, but it is characterized by the presence of enormous energies of youth who have learned from a long history and rich achievements.
The Princess, who is Chair of the Board of Trustees of Princess Sumaya University for Technology, made the remarks as she opened the Humboldt International conference titled: "Building International Networks to Promote Scientific Research in Jordan" at the Princess Sumaya University for Technology.
Addressing the conferees, she said that she was happy to see this number of scientists and researchers in various scientific fields come together to discuss ways to promote scientific research through international networking which must play a vital role in promoting science to achieve greater equality in the Middle East and the world.
Princess Sumaya added that inequality within societies and across borders is the primary and overarching threat to global sustainability, for it promotes the deployment of science for division, and not science for peace. "We must ensure that science and technology are not arrayed to divide our world between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'." The great strides that have been made in communications and other technologies have united the enfranchised people around our world, but they are in danger of excluding those who are not connected to this new and artificial global consciousness, the Princess said. Smart technology, she added, does not create the problems of the future; but rather it solves them before they even arise.
During her speech, Princess Sumaya stressed that building research networks is critical in bringing down barriers between peoples, stressing the need to reject the inequality between people that is rapidly increasing in the world. The Princess added, "We must be ready to harness science and mobilize creativity to achieve a promising future to which we all aspire." Chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission and President of the Conference, Khaled Touqan, said that Jordan faces many challenges, notably the growing energy demand, the increasing costs and the lack of natural resources, as well as water scarcity. He noted that the Kingdom is currently focusing on the development of resources to meet this shortfall.
"Here in Jordan, we are currently concentrating on developing resources to face power and energy shortages. These include renewable energy, oil shale, natural gas resources and above all water," Touqan said, adding "We are working hard to develop a network of research within Jordan and with other developed countries in the world." He voiced the hope that this conference would result in establishing several joint projects between Jordanian participants and their guest counterparts.
German Ambassador in Amman Ralph Tarraf thanked all those involved in the conference and praised the strong relations between Jordan and Germany, wishing for continued cooperation especially with regards to scientific cooperation.
He also praised the role of HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan in the encouragement and support of the scientific community working in the fields of scientific research and technology to enable local communities to achieve growth and prosperity.
The three-day conference, which brings together 150 participants representing 25 countries, is part of a series of conferences held by the Humboldt International Foundation, and organized by Humboldt Jordan Club in collaboration with the German-Jordanian University and the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission as well as several Jordanian universities.
Amman: HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan said that Jordan faces demographic and environmental challenges due to scarcity of natural resources, but it is characterized by the presence of enormous energies of youth who have learned from a long history and rich achievements.
The Princess, who is Chair of the Board of Trustees of Princess Sumaya University for Technology, made the remarks as she opened the Humboldt International conference titled: "Building International Networks to Promote Scientific Research in Jordan" at the Princess Sumaya University for Technology.
Addressing the conferees, she said that she was happy to see this number of scientists and researchers in various scientific fields come together to discuss ways to promote scientific research through international networking which must play a vital role in promoting science to achieve greater equality in the Middle East and the world.
Princess Sumaya added that inequality within societies and across borders is the primary and overarching threat to global sustainability, for it promotes the deployment of science for division, and not science for peace. "We must ensure that science and technology are not arrayed to divide our world between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'." The great strides that have been made in communications and other technologies have united the enfranchised people around our world, but they are in danger of excluding those who are not connected to this new and artificial global consciousness, the Princess said. Smart technology, she added, does not create the problems of the future; but rather it solves them before they even arise.
During her speech, Princess Sumaya stressed that building research networks is critical in bringing down barriers between peoples, stressing the need to reject the inequality between people that is rapidly increasing in the world. The Princess added, "We must be ready to harness science and mobilize creativity to achieve a promising future to which we all aspire." Chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission and President of the Conference, Khaled Touqan, said that Jordan faces many challenges, notably the growing energy demand, the increasing costs and the lack of natural resources, as well as water scarcity. He noted that the Kingdom is currently focusing on the development of resources to meet this shortfall.
"Here in Jordan, we are currently concentrating on developing resources to face power and energy shortages. These include renewable energy, oil shale, natural gas resources and above all water," Touqan said, adding "We are working hard to develop a network of research within Jordan and with other developed countries in the world." He voiced the hope that this conference would result in establishing several joint projects between Jordanian participants and their guest counterparts.
German Ambassador in Amman Ralph Tarraf thanked all those involved in the conference and praised the strong relations between Jordan and Germany, wishing for continued cooperation especially with regards to scientific cooperation.
He also praised the role of HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan in the encouragement and support of the scientific community working in the fields of scientific research and technology to enable local communities to achieve growth and prosperity.
The three-day conference, which brings together 150 participants representing 25 countries, is part of a series of conferences held by the Humboldt International Foundation, and organized by Humboldt Jordan Club in collaboration with the German-Jordanian University and the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission as well as several Jordanian universities.
© Jordan News Agency - Petra 2014
