Title

International Humanitarian Activist

Position

Global Board of Directors, Honorary

Bio

Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan is an international humanitarian activist and an outspoken voice on issues of world peace and justice. She was born Lisa Najeeb Halaby, to an Arab-American family distinguished for its public service. After receiving a B.A. in Architecture and Urban Planning from Princeton University in 1974, Queen Noor worked on international urban planning and design projects in Australia, Iran, the United States, and Jordan.

Since her marriage in 1978 to King Hussein, Queen Noor has founded and sponsored numerous activities to address national changes in education, health, sustainable development, women’s empowerment, human rights and cross cultural understanding. She is also actively involved with international and UN organizations that address global challenges in these fields.

Queen Noor has played a major role in promoting international exchange and understanding in the areas of Middle Eastern peace and development, Arab-Western relations, conflict prevention and recovery issues such as refugees, missing persons, poverty and disarmament.

Since 1980, the initiatives of the Noor Al Hussein Foundation (NHF) which she chairs have advanced and modernized development thinking in Jordan progressing beyond traditional charity-oriented social welfare practices to integrate social development strategies more closely with national economic priorities. Queen Noor also chairs the King Hussein Foundation (KHF), and its partner, the King Hussein Foundation International (KHFI) founded in 1999 to promote and build on King Hussein’s humanitarian vision and legacy in Jordan and abroad.

Queen Noor is actively involved in a number of international organizations advancing global peace-building and conflict recovery. She is the president of the United World Colleges, Chair of the United Nations University International Leadership Academy, Trustee of the Aspen Institute, Refugees International (RI), The Hunger Project, World Wildlife Fund International (WWF), Conservation International (CI), Founding President & Honorary President Emeritus of BirdLife International. In 1995, she received the United Nations Environment Program Global 500 Award for her activism in environmental protection and advocacy and is Patron of the World Conservation Union, the Landmine Survivors Network (LSN) and advisor to Women Waging Peace, and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL).

In recognition of her efforts to advance development, democracy, and peace, Queen Noor has been awarded numerous awards and honorary doctorates in international relations, law and humane letters.

She has published two books, Hussein of Jordan in 2000 (KHF Publishing) and Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life (Miramax Books) in 2003, a New York Times best seller published in 15 languages.

*Honorary Board Member