Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II address to the 72nd UN General Assembly, 21 Sep 2017 — youth generation, on behalf of King Abdullah II

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate

Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, Distinguished Heads of Delegation, Your Excellencies,

I am honored today to speak on behalf of His Majesty King Abdullah II and the people of Jordan.

Two years ago, I had the chance to advocate on behalf of my generation, and chair a United Nations Security Council meeting to adopt the first resolution on youth. Our joint efforts resulted in the historic, unanimous adoption of Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security, aimed at empowering young people to participate in peace processes and dispute resolution.

Today, I stand before you as a representative of my beloved Jordan, but also as a member of the largest generation of young people in history.

Like every other generation, we have inherited the collective wisdom and values of our elders. And like others before us, we must often struggle to reconcile them with our reality today. What that reality is, is unprecedented.

Ours is a world at an epic intersection, driven by the confluence of deepened globalization and disruptive technologies. We are at the brink of a fourth industrial revolution, which is redefining how we function as societies and how we relate to one another as human beings. Our hyper-connected world is at once bringing people closer together and widening the divisions between them.

Amid all this, the young people of my generation are asking: what are the values that anchor global citizenship today? In which direction does our collective moral compass point, and can it guide us safely to justice, prosperity and peace for all?

Too often, people of my generation are labeled as dreamers. Yet, we all know that every great deed was born a dream. We are often dismissed as idealists, but idealism is not foolish; it is fearless. It invigorates us to lift our reality to the level of our higher ideals, not compromise our ideals in the face of adversity.

Throughout its history, Jordan has suffered external shock after external shock, but the last couple of decades have been relentless. We are currently bordered by a number of conflicts. Over the years, there have been wars in Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen and worsening prospects for peace in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Yet in the face of these daunting challenges, we did not back down from our ideals, or our values. We did not turn our backs on people in need. We're weighed down by massive debt, yet we stand tall and proud. Our soldiers dodge bullets to let refugees into our country, not keep them out.

Difficult circumstances did not stop Jordan from being a net contributor to global good.

We have remained steadfast in our commitment to a just and peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the two-state solution, despite prevailing skepticism.

We have staunchly upheld our duty as Hashemite Custodians of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. Preserving the historical and legal status quo at Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif is key to peace in our region and the world, as Jerusalem is the cradle of all three monotheistic religions.

We have been unwavering in the international war against terrorism and our promotion of the true values of Islam. Our peacekeeping troops have protected innocent civilians from Haiti to Darfur to East Timor; and our calls for inclusiveness and moderation ring loud in a region too often deafened by division and extremism.

We have done the right thing, over and over again, because that is what real integrity means, but how has the world reacted?

No doubt, Jordan is regularly praised for its humanitarian and moral stance, and we are proud of our country's reputation, but kind words don't balance budgets, build schools or bolster employment.

For the people and youth of Jordan, important questions linger:

How can it be that a country as small as ours struggles in the face of such crushing adversity, only to be told that its friends are suffering from donor fatigue?

How can it be, that a country like Jordan offers a humble home to millions of desperate people, while richer countries around the world quibble over accepting thousands?

What does it say about our common humanity, when last year alone the world spent close to 1.7 trillion dollars on arms, but fell short by less than 1.7 billion in fulfilling the UN appeal to support Syrian refugees and host communities in countries like Jordan?

What does it say when trillions are spent waging wars in our region, but little to take our region to safer shores?

There are no good answers.

The sad reality is that war economies are thriving to the benefit of a few, while real economies are suffering to the detriment of all.

The message to the youth of Jordan and our region is loud and clear: there is no shortage of money for fighting evil, but the appetite for rewarding virtue is nearly non-existent; that the voice of those who defend and build is drowned out by those who attack and destroy.

It just doesn't add up.

So, what do we tell the people of Jordan? What does the international community tell our young majority?

Do we tell them that the values we live by… are of no value? That pragmatism beats principles? That complacency trumps compassion?

Or that we should play it safe; turn our backs on people in need, because we cannot count on others to have our back?

The United Nations is our global conscience, but for too many in my country, and others around the world trying to do good, it sometimes feels like the world's conscience is on 'silent' mode.

It's time to break the silence and start finding answers. In doing so, we can unleash a global current that carries our common humanity to safer shores.

Our commitment to peace, moderation and international cooperation is uncompromising. Water a thirsty fruit-bearing tree or continue to add fuel to a raging fire? The world has a choice to make.

Thank you very much.