Princess Basma bint Talal
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*already part of the family but moved to reflect her now married position |
Princess Basma bint Talal of Jordan (born Amman, Jordan, on May 11, 1951) is a daughter of the late King Talal I bin Abdullah.
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[edit] Background
Basma's father became King of Jordan two months after she was born as a result of the assassination in Jerusalem of her grandfather King Abdullah I. However, Talal was forced to abdicate as King for health reasons in 1952, when Basma was one year old. He lived on until 1972. Her mother was Queen Zein (1916-1994). After her father's abdication, her older brother King Hussein (1935–1999) ascended the throne, and her mother was Queen Regent until Hussein came of age in 1953.
[edit] Education
Basma was educated at Ahliyyah School in Amman, then in England at Benenden School (where she was a friend of Princess Anne) and Oxford University, where she read Modern Languages.
In 2001, she was awarded a DPhil degree by Oxford University for a thesis entitled Contextualising development in Jordan: the arena of donors, state and NGOs.
[edit] Marriage and career
Basma first married Timoor Daghestani in 1970 and had two children together:
In the late 1970's they divorced and Basma went on to marry Walid Al Kurdi in 1980, they also has two children together:
- Saad - born November 8, 1982
- Zein Al Sharaf - born June 1, 1986
Since the late 1970s, Basma has worked to promote human development, gender equity, and children's charities. Through forums which include the United Nations, she contributes to the global debates on health, education, population, and the environment.
[edit] Appointments
- Member of the World Health Organization's Adolescent Health Programme Scientific and Technical Advisory Group, 1991-1993
- Honorary Human Development Ambassador of the United Nations Development Programme since 1993
- Member of the World Health Organization Global Commission on Women's Health, 1994
- Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Development Fund for Women since 1995
- Member of the United Nations High-Level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development to the Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, 1995 to 1998
- Member of the Earth Council since 1996
- Member of Board of Trustees for the Population Council
- Member of UNESCO Culture and Development Steering Committee, 1996-1997
- Member of UNESCO International Panel on Democracy and Development, 1998
- Member of UNESCO Scientific Committee for the World Culture Report, 1998-2000
- Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund since 2001
- Member of the International Advisory Board of the International Council on Social Welfare since 2001
[edit] Honours
- WAGGGS' World Citizenship Award, June 2005
- Dr Naito International Childcare Award, June 2001
- UNESCO Fifty Years Commemorative Medal, March 2000
- Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws of the University of Reading, July 1998
- Arab Woman of the Year 1995 (Arab Regional Preparatory Meeting of the Fourth World Conference on Women)
- Honorary Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford, 1994
- Order of the Precious Crown (First Class), Japan
- Grand Cross of Isabel the Catholic, Kingdom of Spain
- Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star, Sweden
- Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash, Republic of Austria
- Grand Cordon of the Jewelled Al Nahda Renaissance, Jordan, 1994
- Most Esteemed Family Order Laila Utama of Negara Brunei Darussalam, 2000
[edit] References
- Princess Basma - official site
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