Jordan was chosen as the venue for the meeting
because the Forum considers it "a regional leader in political and social reforms,"
as well as one of the few Middle East countries to have a peace treaty with Israel.
Jordanian Planning Minister Bassem Awadallah says,
in addition to focusing on regional issues, such as Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
the Jordanian government hopes to use the meeting as a showcase for its own democratic transition.