Bank of Palestine signed a partnership agreement with Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute “MAS” to support research projects and the institute’s informatics and media channels; the signing ceremony took place in Bank of Palestine’s General Management Head Office in Ramallah. The agreement was signed by Mr. Mr. Hashim Shawa, Chairman and General Manager of Bank and Palestine, Dr. Nabeel Kassis, Director of “MAS”, in the presence of Maher Farah, member in the Bank’s Board of Trustees, Hani Naser and Susan Khoury, Assistants General Manager, Thaer Hamayel, Director of the Bank’s Marketing and Public Relations Department, Mr. Rami Rizkallah, the institute’s Financial and Administrative Director, Mrs. Daniela Andreevska, Project Coordinator at “MAS” and a number of officials from both sides.
The agreement states the provision of support in the value of 100 thousand dollars from the Bank to the Institute over the next five years, as part of its social responsibility towards the development and support to research institutions and projects in the fields of economics, import and export issues, growth, employability and researching the methods to stimulate economic growth, in addition to researching about issues and difficulties of the Palestinian economy and submit realistic recommendations for resolving these issues to decision-makers at various levels. The agreement also includes the development for “MAS’s” media channels on the World Wide Web, so that it will become a primary reference for researchers and scholars in economic affairs.
The two parties discussed the reality of the Palestinian economy and recent developments, related to trade operations between Gaza and the West Bank, and methods to support certain economic sectors in Gaza, particularly fishermen, contractors and industrial facilities that were damaged during the latest aggression on Gaza Strip and continued operating despite the massive destruction. Mr. Hashim Shawa emphasized on the importance of supporting Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute so it can carry out its research tasks, which provides analysis and necessary knowledge to propose effective economic policies based on local and international experience, in order to reach high levels of sustainability in various economic sectors, in addition to the Institute’s cooperation with various local and international organizations to contribute in resolving the problems and obstacles related to commercial exchanges between Palestine and the world. Mr. Hashim Shawa also expressed his interest in discussing and examining other opportunities for cooperation between the Bank and “MAS”, expressing his pride in Bank of Palestine’s cooperation with the institute, which is considered the first research institute in national economy issues.
Dr. Nabeel Kassis expressed his contentment to sign this agreement, which is the first of its kind between the Institute and a national deep-rooted company from the private sector. Kassis added that the Institute will employ the commendable support from Bank of Palestine to complete many studies, researches and activities that will contribute in raising the economic awareness, development of the quality of economic policies that aim to improve the Palestinian economy’s investment and competitive climate, and to develop self-capacity to reduce the dependency of the Palestinian economy. He highly appreciated Bank of Palestine’s support and expressed his interest for more cooperation that aim to upgrade the Palestinian economy.