Abu-Ghazaleh: My love story with the UN started in 1956

AMMAN -------November 9, 2015------ HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org), delivered the keynote address at the celebration of the UN’s 70th anniversary organized by the office of the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Jordan. The ceremony included the addresses of Minister of Planning and International Cooperation HE Mr. Emad Fakhoury and the United Nations Resident Representative and Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator HE Mr. Edward Kaloun.

During the celebration, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh talked about his relation with the United Nations highlighting the scholarship granted to him by UNRWA in 1956 to study at the American University in Beirut which was designated to the Palestinian student who gets the first-rank, pointing out to that he, after the graduation, still owes the United Nations, Lebanon and the American University for the exceptional qualification he had.

He stated that his love story with the United Nations was fruitful despite being seven years older than the UN. That love story gathered a 17-year-old young man and a nine-year-old lady - the “United Nations”.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh has served the UN personally and on behalf of his organization for four decades through which he led more than 20 projects, taskforces or UN bodies as a representative of private sector in the fields of Intellectual Property, ICT, audit, education and others. 

Abu-Ghazaleh also stated that the UN has achieved excellent cooperation with the global business sector, however, the greatest achievement was crystalized last September when the UN, for the first time, announced the establishment of the first partnership between the UN represented by the UN-Habitat and the business sector represented by TAG-Org.

This partnership mutually chaired by the two parties is considered a significant development in the advancement of the UN. It entails the launch of the first Global Network on Promoting Digital Technologies for Sustainable Urbanization in order to sustain the cities around the world. For the UN, this partnership is the first of its kind which was the result of the “UN Day Private Sector Partnership” on August 28, 2015.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh highly commended HE Mr. Ban Ki-moon’s leadership of this initiative launched in his presence at the UN headquarters in New York.

He also thanked UNDP for its vital role in the private-sector partnership. 

As the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Jordanian National Orchestra Association (Jorchestra), Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh finally hoped that the attendees would enjoy the performance of Jorchestra’s musicians who presented musical pieces at the celebration. He pointed out that his love to music dates back to the time he worked as a music salesperson at one of the music shops in Beirut during his secondary study and thus had to study music for better marketing. From that point, he fell in love with music and the UN to end up with a life full of love stories as he believes in love as a cure for every problem. Moreover, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh wished the UN more progress.