Top 10 quotes from Jordan – day 3

Palestinian and Israeli business leaders call for peace;  Arab women transform the workplace; educators bring innovation into the classroom. Catch up on the most thought-provoking quotes and impassioned pleas at the World Economic Forum in Jordan.

“We are issuing an urgent call to action to all leaders to break the impasse and put as their top priority the pursuit of the peace process.”
Munib R. Masri
Chairman, Palestine Development & Investment – Padico Holding, Palestinian Territories, in the session: Breaking the Impasse.

“Most of my life has been spent witnessing the conflict with our neighbours. It is too much, too long and too painful. There is not a single Palestinian or Israeli family that has not paid a heavy price. Too many mothers have shed too many tears. Enough!”
Yossi Vardi
Chairman, International Technologies Ventures, Israel, in the session: Breaking the Impasse.

“Prime Minister Tony Blair is shaping what I believe could be a ground-breaking plan to develop a healthy, sustainable, private-sector led Palestinian economy that will transform the future of Palestinians… We’re looking to mobilise some $4 billion of investment.”
John F. Kerry
US Secretary of State, in the session: Breaking the Impasse.

“We and our Palestinian neighbours must return to negotiations as soon as possible and bring peace…  We welcome the Breaking the Impasse initiative.”
Shimon Peres
President of Israel, in the session: Breaking the Impasse.

“We want a modern, democratic Palestinian state.”
Mahmoud Abbas
President of the Palestinian National Authority, in the session: Breaking the Impasse.

“The Arab world we want: an Arab world where entrepreneurs teach and teachers innovate. Where students learn in playgrounds and dream in classrooms. Where young people start up companies. Where the next big thing was developed by the kid next door.”
H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, in the session: A New Vision for Arab Employment.

“As a woman, an engineer and as the CEO of a company, I feel it’s part of my role to help the development of women.”
Ellen Kullman
Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, DuPont, USA, in the session: A New Vision for Arab Employment.

“More than 1.5 million refugees have fled Syria. At the current pace, we will be at 3 million by end of this year.”
Thomas Alexander Aleinikoff
Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, Geneva, in the session: Safeguarding Syria.

“We can look at the cracked vase of Syria on the floor and bemoan it. But I would urge you also to consider what can we do now to prevent new Syrias throughout the Middle East. How can we build resilient civil societies with free expression?”
Sarah Leah Whitson
Executive Director, Middle East and North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch, USA, in the session: Safeguarding Syria.

“A good paying job is the number one thing young people in this region want.”
Majid Jafar
Chief Executive Officer, Crescent Petroleum, United Arab Emirates, in the session: A New Vision for Arab Employment.

Image: Plenary Session at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa 2013.