Al Askar: High-level International Participation in Saudi Product Safety Forum

          Eng. Saud bin Rashed Al Askar, Deputy Governor of SASO for Quality and Conformity said that the Saudi Product Safety Forum is an ideal opportunity for those interested in product safety and market surveillance mechanisms in the Kingdom to take advantage of international experiences offered during the two days of the forum.

          ​Al-Askar pointed out that the forum will shed light on the EU directives on the safety of public products. It will review some of the UNECE initiatives on market surveillance and a number of international experiences such as product safety and market surveillance in Brazil, South Korea, and the UAE in this field.

          He noted that the forum will witness high-level international participation by more than 30 experts from 16 countries around the world, including UK, Korea, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Canada, Bulgaria, Denmark, Brazil, Slovenia and other countries.

          SASO Deputy Governor for Conformity and Quality explained that the forum will witness high-level international participation such as the participation of Mrs. Teresa Moreira Head of Competition and Consumer Policies Branch of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); Mr. Michele Cervone d'Urso Ambassador-Head of the European Union Delegation to Saudi Arabia; and Ms. Vera Despotovic, Head of Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.  The forum will also witness the participation of representatives of the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC), representatives of Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO) and representatives of the Emirates Standards and Metrology Authority (ESMA).

          Al-Askar explained that SASO's organization of the forum comes within the framework of the national responsibilities entrusted to SASO to raise the quality and safety of products and services in the Saudi market, in order to enhance the safety of the consumer. "the patron of the forum was the Minister of Commerce and Investment, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, and the follow-up of His Excellency the Governor of SASO has influential role in attracting these senior scientists and experts in the field of product safety," he added.

          The Saudi Product Safety Forum will be held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Riyadh from 12 to 13 Sha'ban 1440H, corresponding to 17-18 April 2019.