French top tour operators invited by JTB to attend as Her Majesty Queen Rania acted as patron at “The Night of Jordanian Treasures” in Paris, and met with several UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors on the occasion of their annual meeting.

“Today, at a time when, too often, humanity is clashing instead of communicating, we need to promote [a] universal language and indivisible heritage,” said Queen Rania.

Several Jordanian performers supported by JTB were on hand to promote that universal language and showcase some examples of the Kingdom’s performing arts.

These included pianist and composer Zade Dirani, who performed his original compositions that blend oriental and contemporary Western influences.

The National Centre of Culture and Art performed “dabkeh,” a community dance to celebrate weddings and other festive occasions, while the National Music Conservatory presented the group “Mahabeesh,” which uses the “mehbash,” a tool used to grind coffee, as a percussion instrument.

In addition, the Circassian Folkloric Troup of Al Ahli Club performed the “qafa,” a royal dance and the “islameh,” a dance celebrating life and liberty.

Queen Rania has said before that in order for different cultures to understand each other, they must let one and other into their homes, and see things firsthand. Such cultural awareness nights serve to introduce members of different communities to some of Jordan’s cultural treasures.

“Located at the crossroads of East and West, and in the cradle of humanity’s great religions, we [in Jordan] have carved out a special role as a link between regions and cultures. We know tradition and modernity can both find purchase in our soil, and we are eager to bring the world to Jordan, and bring Jordan to the world,” the Queen said.

Her Majesty thanked all the UNESCO ambassadors and representatives for their efforts “‘to build peace in the minds of men and to foster dialogue, mutual respect and understanding among the peoples of the earth.”

Some of the ambassadors in attendance included Princess Firyal, Sheikh Ghassan Shaker, Bahia Hariri, Princess Lalla Meryem and Mehriban Aliyeva, the first lady of Azerbaijan.

The Queen also toured an exhibition featuring traditional and contemporary handicrafts produced by the Jordan River Foundation, as well as photographs of Jordan by Rana Safadi and Dana Khrais, who have had their work displayed locally and internationally.

The cultural evening was organised by JRF, the Jordanian embassy in France, and the Jordanian delegation to UNESCO.

Also on Tuesday, Queen Rania attended a signing ceremony between the JRF and UNESCO, as well as a JRF fundraiser, in Paris.

Under the memorandum of understanding, which seeks to advance early educational practices in the Kingdom, JRF and UNESCO committed to kickstart an initiative to identify projects in the area of child protection, reinforce teacher training and school management, and enhance curricula in formal and nonformal education.

The two parties will also work together to raise awareness about the Early Childhood Care and Education policy, child rights, and child safety.

Queen Rania, who is chairperson of JRF, has been active in expanding Early Childhood Development in Jordan, promoting access as well as gender parity in schools, and encouraging excellence in education.

Her Majesty also attended a JRF fundraising dinner, the proceeds of which will go to the foundation’s Safe Schools Project, a national initiative that seeks to turn schools into safer environments for learning by raising awareness about abuse and child rights, with a special focus on protection, self-expression and participation, and developing school rules and policies that reflect these rights.

The project will also promote school-community partnerships, offer capacity building courses for teachers, counsellors and administrators, and encourage children’s active learning and participation in school.

JRF will design and implement the project in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and other relevant stakeholders for public primary schools. The initiative will include the design and piloting of the project which will then be integrated in the ministry’s system and disseminated to schools across the country. A monitoring and evaluation system for the implementation and dissemination of the project will be in place to ensure the effectiveness of the programme and to measure its impact.

During her Paris visit, the Queen also met with UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura and discussed cooperation between Jordan and UNESCO since the country joined the organisation in 1950.