On Friday, June 26, a delegation from the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) was honored to be received by His Excellency Mr. Akram Saud Haraasheh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United Nations Office in Geneva.
The WEA delegation included Rev. David Rihani, Director of the MENA Regional Office of UnASDG and Deputy Secretary General for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) of the WEA; Ms. Njoud Aldeqes, Executive Director and International Relations Lead for UnASDG; and Prof. Dr. Janet Epp Buckingham, Director of the WEA Geneva Office to the UN.
Ambassador Haraasheh extended a warm welcome and emphasized Jordan’s commitment for promoting biblical tourism as a meaningful bridge between cultures, faith communities, and nations. He emphasized the importance of peacebuilding, highlighting dialogue, cooperation, and mutual understanding as essential to regional stability.
During the meeting, Rev. Rihani expressed appreciation for recent initiatives by the Jordanian government to introduce amendments that would allow Christians in Jordan to prepare legally recognized wills in accordance with their faith traditions and to facilitate the legal adoption of Christian children by Christian families.
“These proposed changes address long-standing concerns within the Christian community,” Rev. Rihani noted. “They offer greater assurance and flexibility for families seeking to honor their convictions in matters of inheritance and family life.” Speaking personally as a father of two daughters, he added that such reforms would bring reassurance to many Christian families desiring to preserve their inheritance within the immediate family.
The delegation included Ms. Njoud Aldeqes, a Jordanian human rights activist who was invited in recognition of her longstanding humanitarian service to refugees and vulnerable communities in Jordan. She shared insights on humanitarian initiatives carried out in Jordan in collaboration with Rev. Rihani through UnASDG.
Ms. Aldeqes previously participated in the 2019 UNHCR Global Refugee Forum. Her participation in Geneva reflected a shared commitment to promoting human dignity, strengthening social cohesion, and encouraging constructive Christian-Muslim cooperation in serving vulnerable communities.
Dr. Buckingham reflected on the meeting, saying, “We are grateful for the positive engagement of Jordan’s Ambassador and his openness to issues important to evangelical communities. Jordan has taken encouraging steps to address key concerns of its Christian citizens, which we warmly welcome.”
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