Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan inaugurated the first joint annual meeting of the World Links Arab Region (WLAR) Advisory Council and Board of Directors, May 12, 2004, at the Four Seasons Hotel, Amman.
The WLAR Advisory Council was briefed on the progress of work during its first eight months in operation and discussed future plans after establishing WLAR regional offices in Jordan.
The World Links program was launched in Jordan in June 2003, after Ministry of Education, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAGO), and the World Links signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh pointed out that WLAR was launched in Jordan in 120 schools with 20,000 students benefiting annually. WLAR is also launching similar pilot projects in Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen in 2004. By 2006, World Links aims to benefit over 1 million students in the Arab world.
“WLAR aims to improve educational outcomes, economic opportunities and mutual global understanding for youth in developing countries through the use of technology and the Internet,” he added.
World Links began in mid-1997 as an initiative of Mr. James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank, to help bring the developing world into the information age through its future leaders -students- and to build cultural awareness among them in the face of an ever more global economy and society. Since then, World Links has expanded to over 35 developing countries.