The World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Middle East and North Africa officially kicked off on Saturday at the Dead Sea, inaugurated by His Majesty King Abdullah and attended by Her Majesty Queen Rania.

Following welcoming remarks by WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Professor Klaus Schwab, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II delivered the keynote address at the opening plenary of the Forum, held at the King Hussein bin Talal Convention Centre under the theme of “Enabling a Generational Transformation”.

Hosted in Jordan this year for the ninth time at the Dead Sea, the WEF includes over 1,100 participants from the public and private sectors and civil society organisations of more than 50 countries.

Discussing the Forum’s theme, the Crown Prince said transformation is the reality that young people were born into.

“For us, continual innovation is part of the rhythm of life,” His Royal Highness said. “Constant change is our ‘status quo’.”

Young people in the Middle East, the Crown Prince noted, are facing “two opposing currents” of change; one pulling youth into “violence, intolerance, and regression, through the corrosive power of an extremist ideology”, and the other taking them to a reality of moderation “where we can be productive and positive contributors to the world around us”.

Noting that Arab youth have to choose where the tide will take them, His Royal Highness said young Arabs want a fair chance to make a difference.

“Young people in our region are the heaviest users of social media and the Internet. We are the most likely to have smartphones. We are the gamers and the texters,” the Crown Prince added.

“But, more importantly, the youth of our region aren’t satisfied to just adopt and adapt global technology. Beyond being mere consumers, I’m proud to say that—especially here in Jordan—you’ll meet young men and women who are spearheading innovation and change,” His Royal Highness said.

The Crown Prince also congratulated the 21 Jordanian start-ups named by WEF and the International Finance Corporation among the 100 best in the Arab world.

The Forum’s sessions this year, featuring a group of Jordanian innovators, will focus on topics such as enabling innovation and entrepreneurship through the Fourth Industrial Revolution, building inclusive economies, and supporting humanitarian efforts and diplomatic dialogue.

“So, here, at the beginning of the global Fourth Industrial Revolution… you can safely say my generation feels the impact. And yet, what they need most is for you all to take a bet on them; to support them—morally and financially—so they can create their own impact,” His Royal Highness told an attendance of heads of state, senior officials, and leading international political and economic figures.

“Our young people need a region-wide support system for opportunity, access, and hope,” the Crown Prince added, noting that “we, the youth must be prepared to receive and make the most of the support we get”.

“Everything around us is transforming—markets, professions, trade and industry, technology—and so are the qualifications needed to harness these changes,” His Royal Highness explained, warning his fellow young Arabs that this fast pace does not entail fast success.

“Making it to the top takes time, dedication, and a great deal of diligence,” the Crown Prince stressed.

“But if we all do our part, this can be a once-in-a-generation chance to drive radical change across this region, and—ultimately—drive radicalisation out of this region,” His Royal Highness said, calling for seizing the opportunity to “bridge the gap between what young people see and long for online, and what they have offline”.

“Hope and a fair chance are the deciding factors for which current will pull our youth, so I urge you to step in, extend your hand, unleash their power and potential, and guide them to safe shores.”

King Felipe VI of Spain, Iraq President Fuad Masum, and Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou also delivered remarks at the opening plenary.

In his speech, the Spanish monarch thanked Jordan and King Abdullah for inviting him to the Forum, highlighting the “long, friendly and fruitful relations that bring the Kingdom of Spain and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan so close; as close as to consider that our respective royal families are tied by a strong and rewarding familiar bond”.

He praised His Majesty for making the Forum in Jordan “a key moment for the ongoing debates focused on the Middle East and North Africa that take place worldwide”.

The Spanish monarch said the Crown Prince’s participation represents the next generation, “the one we all need to work for—and with—today, to help provide them with greater hope and real opportunities for a better future in the region”.

“Thank you, Your Highness, for your words. And thank you, Your Majesties, for making us witnesses of Crown Prince [Al] Hussein’s strong commitment,” King Felipe VI added.

Spanish foreign policy, he noted, has always sought to foster the cooperation between Europe and the Middle East and North Africa, highlighting the importance of free trade.

Stressing that his country has overcome “the worst of a serious economic crisis”, he said Spain is “now ready and willing” to strengthen cooperation with all partners in the Middle East.

“We can finally look ahead with well-founded optimism and honestly say to our youth: ‘Yes it is possible and worth the effort, yes there is hope, yes we are taking-on our responsibility, and yes we are doing the best we can’,” King Felipe VI added.

Praising Jordan’s generosity in hosting a large number of refugees and working towards peace and development, he described the Kingdom as an example of constructive engagement with the international community.

Noting that Spanish companies are in Jordan to stay, he cited desalination, water treatment, and transport infrastructures as areas they are interested in investing in.

King Felipe VI said the Middle East and North Africa region is full of potential, calling for progress in seeking peace and fighting terrorism.

For his part, President Masum thanked Jordan for hosting the Forum, which, he said, is in the entire region’s benefit.

Noting that Iraq has achieved victories in the fight against terror, he expected the war on Daesh to end later this year, but stressed that Iraqis must now prepare for the battle of rebuilding the country and securing the return of the displaced.

The Iraqi president called for international support for Iraq as it embarks on rebuilding, noting that his country is open for business and investments.

President Issoufou said Jordan’s hosting of the WEF signals its commitment to promoting global cooperation and peace.

Enabling a generational transformation, he added, requires bringing peace and resolving conflicts.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Gjorge Ivanov, Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades, Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, and a number of senior Arab and international officials attended the opening plenary.

Several royal family members, Prime Minister Hani Mulki, Speaker of the House of Representatives Atef Tarawneh, Royal Hashemite Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, and Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan were also in attendance.