Transformation program boosts Saudi Arabia’s capacity to ensure safety in traded goods — minister
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s national transformation program 2020 has lifted the quality of life in the Kingdom, boosting the country’s capacity to attract investment and ensure safety in traded goods, Majid Al-Qassabi, the commerce and investment minister, said.Al-Qassabi, who is also chairman of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO), told the inaugural ceremony of the Saudi Product Safety Forum in Riyadh on Wednesday that the national transformation program and the other strategic initiatives are part of “relentless efforts” by the government to provide an attractive investment environment for domestic and foreign companies.The development of legislative and regulatory frameworks is helping to ensure fair trade in the Kingdom, he added.Saad Al-Qasabi, SASO’s governor, said that the forum will explore regional and global experiences in product safety.“The Kingdom devotes a great deal of attention to product safety. This is reflected through the launch of the Saudi Product Safety Program, which aims to raise the level of items conformity in the Saudi market to 80 percent by 2020,” he said.Teresa Moreira, head of competition and consumer policies in the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), said the exchange of information and consultations between the member states are key elements in ensuring best practice in consumer product safety.She outlined UNCTAD’s role in helping developing countries and countries with economies in transition to implement the UN international control program.Michele Cervone d’Urso, head of delegation of the EU in Saudi Arabia, said that the Kingdom’s strong system of product safety increased consumer confidence.He reviewed the EU’s efforts in the field of product safety, including a rapid alert system concerning dangerous non-food products.The alert system helps the EU and the European economic zone to exchange information on dangerous products seized in their markets, he said.
