Her former profession as a business woman and her education help in her charity work, making her aware that poverty, ill health and conflict are issues that feed into and off each other. "Disease and hunger breed economic weakness and political instability, and that puts us all at risk." she said. "We need to take the basic measures and attack the underlying causes of turmoil." World security, she said, cannot be advanced without addressing basic problems of poverty and inequality that affect many families in the world.

Her own life has been far removed from those she wishes to help. She was born in Kuwait to a prominent Jordanian family of Palestinian origin. She received a business degree from the American University in Cairo and then went on to work for Apple and Citibank.

At the age of 22 she married the then prince of Jordan, Abdullah. At the time it seemed unlikely that he would ever ascend to the throne. His father, King Hussein, reigned over the Hashemite Kingdom but his brother, the prince's uncle, Hassan, was first in line to the throne. Two weeks before his death, however, King Hussein named Prince Abdullah his successor. Thus, in 1999 Abdullah and Rania ascended the throne of Jordan.

That same year the queen joined the board of the newly founded Vaccine Fund, along with former South African President Nelson Mandela and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Mary Robinson. The fund works to fight diseases that are preventable by immunization such as Hepatitis B and yellow fever, diseases that have ceased to pose a threat in the developed world but are still at large in the developing world. The Vaccine Fund is focusing on the world's 74 poorest countries, where each year 30 million newborns receive no vaccinations. That statistic, she said, left her "heartbroken."

"These are diseases that could be easily prevented through vaccination, and for only $30 per child," she said. "That really gives us a moral imperative to work hard to make sure it does not continue to happen."

Queen Rania said she considers the Vaccine Fund a model for a cost-effective and efficient organization. For her, it is an effective way for a NGO and civil society to address pressing problems of the 21st century. She said it is "really an incredible, creative and flexible way of working."

Since its launch in 1999, the fund has raised $1 billion and hopes to raise an additional billion to finance its efforts in areas such as Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Sudan.

Queen Rania is also involved in other charities that address humanitarian issues. In 1995, she started the Jordan River Foundation, which works to improve the economic standards of Jordan's people. She is also president of the Jordan Society for Organ Donation and the head of the Jordan Blood Disease Society, which organizes campaigns to raise awareness on the causes, dangers and precautions for blood diseases.