Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce is hosting the first Arab Forum for Consumer Protection, which will be launched in its first edition in the Arab world and West Asia in the Kingdom of Bahrain from 20 to 21 February 2024, in cooperation with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and representatives of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). 

The Forum will be attended by a group of experts, lawyers, academics and technicians in the field of consumer protection from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Arab and West Asian countries, in addition to high-level representation from (ESCWA) and the (UNCTAD).

The second edition of the Arab Consumer Protection Day celebration was launched this morning under the slogan "Arab Women and Consumer Protection", in the presence of H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, and Bahjat Abu Al-Nasr, the director of the Economic Integration Department of the Arab League, and with the participation of a number of Bahraini society women from civil societies, university students, and a group of experts, legalists, academics and technicians in the field of consumer protection from 25 participating countries from the GCC and Arab region, within the Greater Arab Free Trade Area, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Bahrain.

On this occasion, His Excellency the Minister confirmedthat the launch of this distinguished initiative came in response to the recommendations of the 13^th meeting of the group of experts and specialists in the field of consumer protection within the Greater Arab Free TradeArea of the Arab League. To highlight every year animportant topic facingconsumers at the Arab world,as thisyear'scelebration carries the slogan"Arab Women andConsumer Protection", which the Kingdom of Bahrain has always soughtto support.

The Minister noted that the celebration included the first dialogue to discuss challenges and solutions centeredaround Arab women with regard to consumer practices, by presenting a distinguished set ofexperiences and practices appliedin consumerprotection agencies atthe Gulfand Arabregion. Affirming the Kingdom of Bahrain's support to futureaspirations in the field of consumer protection in the area, under the GeneralSecretariat of the Arab League and the members of the Group of Expertsand Specialistsin the field of consumerprotection within the GreaterArab FTA.

In cooperation with the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, organized a joint event to discuss the latest developments in the industrial sector during the year 2023.

H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, stressed the keenness to continue developing promising sectors in the Kingdom of Bahrain, including the industrial sector. In addition to providing the necessary support for the growth and sustainability of this sector due to its role in advancing comprehensive development in line with the Industrial Sector Strategy (2022-2026).

 His Excellency praised the role of the private sector and the importance of strengthening partnership with it to accelerate the pace of investment, especially in light of the prosperity of the industrial system which receives full support from Bahrain, which is characterized by its fertile environment for establishing projects, and an ideal export terminal that resulted in a number of positive indicators.

For his part, Dr. Khaled Fahad Al Alawi, Assistant Undersecretary for Industrial Development at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, gave a presentation that included the most prominent statistics related to the industrial sector during 2023, which portrayed positive growth, pointing to the most important incentives and enablers that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce launched according to the industrial sector strategy (2022-2026), and reviewing the most important investment opportunities in the pharmaceutical industries, renewable energy industries, downstream petrochemicals, manufacturing aluminum, food industries, and semiconductor industry.

Moreover, the event showcased details of the program to promote sustainable industrialization (green factory labeling) in partnership with the private sector, which was announced during the Kingdom of Bahrain’s participation in the Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), and highlighted the Industrial Investment Guide, which is considered the first reference for industrial investment in the Kingdom, in addition to reviewing the evaluation mechanism developed for applications for allocating industrial plots. The event also included an awarding of the first graduated batch of twenty individuals who completed the required training hours to be accredited as evaluators of the "iFactories" initiative, aimed at supporting the transformation of the industrial sector towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution in cooperation with the Labour Fund (Tamkeen).

The second Arab Consumer Protection Day will be held this year in the Kingdom of Bahrain under the slogan "Arab Women and Consumer Protection". Scheduled to be launched tomorrow Monday, and organized by the Consumer Protection Directorate at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Bahrain.

A group of GCC and Arab experts, legalists, academics, and technicians in the field of consumer protection within the Greater Arab Free Trade Area will participate in the celebration, in the presence of a number of Bahraini society women from civil societies, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Bahrain.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce confirmed that holding the celebration of the Arab Consumer Protection Day in Manama comes as a continuation and extension of the outstanding success achieved by the Kingdom of Bahrain in the field of consumer protection during the year 2023, most notably the Consumer Friend Initiative, which aimed to serve the interest of all consumers, citizens, residents, and visitors to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The Ministry called on those interested in the field of protecting consumer rights to follow the official page of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce @moicbahrain, to obtain more details and register for the celebration.

The celebration of Arab Consumer Protection Day comes in response to the recommendation of the 13^th meeting of the Group of Experts in the field of consumer protection within the Greater Arab Free Trade Area, which falls under the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States. The celebration of Arab Consumer Protection Day is organized annually in one of the Arab countries in conjunction with the World Consumer Rights Protection Day, which was adopted by the United Nations in 1983 to discuss the most important yearly topics in the field of consumer protection.

H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, inaugurated Multinational School Bahrain Commerce Day festival 2024. 

During the visit, H.E. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, praised the efforts of the school administration in developing and refining students' business skills, and toured the exhibition to browse projects, products and services accompanying the festival. Where he was briefed on the various young projects, in addition to the most important services and training programs provided by the school.

For her part, school principal Ola Abu Zaarour, expressed appreciation to HE Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, for inaugurating the MNS Bahrain Commerce Day Festival 2024, noting that the aim of this festival is to allow students to learn about business practices in the real market, and hoping that they benefit from this experience to enhance their capabilities in the field of entrepreneurship and contribute positively to the development of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s economy in the future.

H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, received H.E. Okai Asako, Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Bahrain, on the occasion of her appointment as Ambassador of her country to the Kingdom.

The Minister stressed the depth of the strong economic relations that tie Bahrain and Japan, which contributed to raising the terms of trade and expanding the scope of investments and projects in the interest of both countries, expressing his sincere wishes to Her Excellency the Ambassador in her duties.

Ambassador Asako expressed her deep thanks and appreciation to the Minister for his keenness and interest in strengthening trade relations between Bahrain and Japan, affirming the importance of expanding areas of cooperation in various fields.

H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, inaugurated the first branch of "Padel Kingdom", in Ramli, in the presence of Mr. Abdulla Ali Yateem, owner of Padel Kingdom companies, and a number of officials.

A friendly match was held on the sidelines of the opening ceremony, followed by an awarding of the winners. H.E. the Minister expressed the importance of supporting the private sector to expand the scope of existing projects in the Kingdom, and diversify their fields to keep pace with the different interests of society members, including sports projects, which are getting notably popular among different ages.

HE Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce affirmed the importance of developing the business sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain and attracting more local and international investments by easing procedures and developing laws and legislations that support conducting business in a way that ensures growth and sustainability.

This came during the launch of the 2024 MESAC Family Business Summit, which will be hosted by KPMG in the Middle East, South Asia and the Caspian Sea region, in the Kingdom of Bahrain on February 13 and 14, 2024 under the slogan "Preserving the Legacy" in family businesses across the region.

The summit will address important topics including preserving and renewing the legacy of family businesses, reinventing family businesses, the role of women in preserving family heritage, diversification while upholding family values, and emerging entrepreneurship that drives digital innovation within family businesses.

On the sidelines Summit, Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, said that with their long history, family businesses represent an important part of the national economy and have a positive impact on the comprehensive development in the region, pointing to the constant keenness to provide support for small and medium enterprises and improve their strength and productivity, considering their prominent role in the national economic development.

His Excellency concluded "We are honored to host the Family Business Summit 2024, and we hope that this will be an opportunity to share leading practices across the region and beyond, and we look forward to continue building new partnerships and friendships that support the business sector."

Reflecting on the importance of Family Businesses within the global marketplace, Harish Gopinath, Head of KPMG Enterprise in the MESAC region stated, "The challenges and opportunities faced by family businesses in this region are unique and require tailored strategies to provide an intricate balance for business leaders to leverage their success for future growth, while also looking to sustain the legacy of their enterprise for future generations. The summit will provide a platform for participants to share insights and strategies, ensuring that they have a virtuous network to be support them in sustainable growth of their family legacies."

Generational transition and innovation; Women empowerment in Family Businesses; ESG integration in family business practices; Leveraging the Start-up/ Entrepreneurial mindset to drive Digital Innovation; and Cross-border collaborations are some of the key areas that reflect the most recent trends and diverse dynamics within family businesses in the MESAC region.

Jamal Fakhro, Managing Partner, KPMG in Bahrain stated, ‘We are truly honored to host the 2024 MESAC Family Business Summit in Bahrain this year. We look forward to welcoming the family members and senior business leaders who represent some of the largest and most progressive family businesses across the region. It is also an opportunity for us to recognize, showcase and engage with some of the leading Bahraini Family business leaders to understand how they have addressed specific challenges within their operations, and leverage critical growth opportunities to foster a platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange within the national marketplace."

 The 2024 MESAC Family Business Summit will take place at the Gulf Convention Centre, in the Kingdom of Bahrain and is scheduled for the 13-14 February 2024. It will be an opportunity for participants to learn from insightful presentations and discussions focusing on the latest trends and opportunities for family businesses; interact and engage with advisors and leaders from family-owned companies; connect and network with leaders of family businesses from across the region and like-minded professionals. The summit is particularly beneficial for owners of family-owned businesses, young emerging leaders taking on greater responsibilities within their family businesses, and directors or senior management of family-owned companies.