His Majesty King Abdullah said that we in Jordan have not waited for the regional peace to be achieved in order to start working for our future and we embarked in a dynamic process of internal reforms a few years ago with the aim of building a democratic civil society that provides hope for our youth who are our future.

His Majesty's remarks came in a keynote address on Monday to the East Asia Economic Summit held in Singapore adding that developed and developing countries alike recognize that cooperation is the route to the future.

Indeed, this was one of the messages from Bali last week. What is needed now is global resolve... to heal old divisions and build partnerships for change. Lasting peace and sustainable development will only come when we achieve greater cooperation, and a greater balance between rich and poor. That means a new and deep resolve to address the crises of trust and justice that are undermining our world.