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22-03-2023


On the Palestinian Consumer Day, National Beverage Company sponsors the Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection workshop




 

The National Beverage Company Coca-Cola/Cappy (NBC) sponsored a workshop on promoting the consumer protection mechanisms organized to mark the Palestinian Consumer Day. The workshop was carried out by the Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection, and it was attended by H.E. Khaled El Esaily, Minister of National Economy, Mr. Alaa Al-Tamimi, President of the Palestinian Land Authority, and representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Palestine Monetary Authority, Union of Palestinian Pharmaceutical Industries, the Palestine Capital Market Authority‏, and the Palestinian Land Authority. Many topics have been addressed throughout the workshop sessions; including the consumers, drug prices, banks, consumer rights, and ways to strengthen consumer protection.

Minister Khaled El Osaily thanked the Consumer Protection Society for its constant supervisory and follow up efforts to protect the Palestinian consumers. He asserted that the Ministry of National Economy leads great efforts to develop the local industries, as there are over five thousand Palestinian specifications. He added: “we managed to overcome serious hardships in the past few years, including the coronavirus pandemic, and the soaring prices as a result of the Ukrainian-Syrian crisis. In the past year, we solved over two thousand consumer protection related complaints”.  Mr. El Esaily commended NBC, and Al-Tayf Dairy and Food Product Company in particular, which he believes is the most successful company in Palestine in providing premium-quality products using the state-of-the-art international technologies.

H.E. Minister Alaa Al-Tamimi, President of the Palestinian Land Authority, said: “we take pride in our relation with the Ministry of National Economy and the Consumer Protection Society, and we are keen to maintain the communication and cooperation with them to achieve main goals; protecting the Palestinian consumer and the national products, and balancing them to protect our national economy”.

The Executive Director of Financial Stability Group of Palestine Monetary Authority Mr. Iyad Zitawi said: “The Palestine Monetary Authority is concerned with promoting the relation with the Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection, following up the citizens’ issues and changes at the policy level, and performing safeguards to protect the consumers”. He asserted: “All agencies are responsible for consumer protection, and the Palestine Monetary Authority has a service sector to address the citizens’ issues constantly by professional staff”.

Mr. Rami Afaneh, Manager of Human Resources and admin at NBC, asserted the importance of the workshop, and its role in strengthening consumer protection, and preserving and advocating their rights, especially amidst the volatile product prices in the Palestinian market. He added: “NBC is keen to do whatever it takes to serve the best interest of the Palestinian consumers, out of our faith that the consumer has the right to be protected from the products, production processes and services that compromise their health”. He noted that since its establishment, NBC has always been committed to observe food safety, quality standards and the Palestinian and international standards in the manufacturing processes.

Mr. Afaneh added: “We value the Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection’s efforts catering for the consumers, and advocating them before the public and private bodies, as well as protecting the consumers from all forms of counterfeit and fraud. We cherish this long-standing continuous partnership to find ways to provide the Palestinian consumers with the highest quality, and the best and healthy products, which is a top priority of NBC.

Mr. Mohmmad Shaheen, representative of the Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection, thanked  NBC for its persistent support and sponsorship of the Society’s events and activities. He indicated: “this year, the Palestinian Consumer Day, which falls on 15 March every year, comes amidst soaring prices to remind us of the Palestinian consumers and their rights.”

Mr. Shaheen added that as the Holy month of Ramadan is coming up, the Palestinian consumers started to buy the necessary food items amid rocketing prices, therefore, as a society concerned with consumer protection, we had to look for ways to strengthen the protection and rights of the Palestinian consumers. He asserted that since its inception, the Consumer Protection Society has been striving to influence the prices of basic items, provide the best and premium quality products in the Palestinian markets, in cooperation with the different competent bodies, and control the markets, and organize events and activities that would contribute to ensuring that the Palestinian people enjoy their rights as consumers”.

As part of its efforts to help the Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection achieve its goals, NBC is keen to participate and sponsor the activities and events organized by the Society. NBC sponsored the World Food Safety Day in cooperation with the Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection. Further, NBC sponsored the Palestinian Consumer Day a year ago at  Ramallah Women's Training Center, as well as the National Product Day events, in cooperation with the Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection at Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie/Ramallah.