Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Consumer Protection Agencies Approved

Tuesday, 03 July 2007
Saudi Gazette

THE Cabinet in Jeddah Monday approved the establishment of two agencies to protect the rights of consumers.

The first one, called Deputy Ministry for Consumer Affairs, will be part of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It will supervise services offered to consumers by various administrations of the Ministry.

The second one, called the Consumer Protection Society, is a private entity that will look after the consumers' interest and defend their rights.
It will also help authorities spread consumer awareness and protect consumers from deception, forgery and misrepresentation of commodities and services, including imported and locally manufactured food and pharmaceutical products.

Citizens with special interest and expertise on consumer protection issues will be on the board of the society's general assembly.

The Cabinet, presided over by King Abdullah, called upon the ministries of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Agriculture, Commerce and Industry, Health, as well as Saudi Arabian Standards Organization, Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) and Customs Department to strengthen and reinforce their roles in protecting consumers' rights.

At present, consumer concerns in the Kingdom are handled by chambers of commerce and industry through consumer protection committees in most of them.

These committees at the chambers of commerce and industry participate along with other technical and general committees and the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) board of directors in setting quality standards of food and drug.

Most government agencies have departments to ensure consumer protection in collaboration with SASO.

The Cabinet also approved the academic calendar for the next 10 years.

The academic year has been split into two semesters. The duration of each semester will be at least 15 weeks, including the examination period.

Eid holidays for government employees will also apply to universities and schools.

King Abdullah also briefed the Council on the outcome of his meetings with the leaders of Morocco, Spain, France, Poland, Egypt, and Jordan.

King Abdullah expressed confidence that the Spanish, French and Polish leadership will consolidate their positive roles in enabling the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate rights and help Iraq achieve its national unity.

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