On Sunday, 5/3/2019, Mr. Rushdi Ghalayini, the General Director of Bank of Palestine, received Mr. Geert Cappelaere, the UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa region, and Ms. Genevieve Boutin, Special Representative of the UNICEF in Palestine. The meeting was held at Bank of Palestine’s branch in Al Tireh, and was attended by several officials from both organizations, who discussed methods of joint cooperation and ways to develop relationships based on common principles.
Both parties also discussed developing relations as part of a common agreement that incorporates several aspects and complies with the UNICEF’s strategic plan on an international level, as well as with the bank’s values and principles and as part of its corporate social responsibility or the services and special programs it launches for youth and children.
The bank presented many of the projects it implements in the field of corporate social responsibility, especially projects for children and youth, such as Al Bayyarah Parks project, which involved the establishment of 40 parks for children within Palestinian cities in partnership with several local organizations, and activities and programs for Palestinian women through the Felestineya program, which managed to reach thousands of women and raise their awareness about banking and economic services.
The bank stressed on its efforts that target children, which involve the designation of areas especially for them on the premises of its main offices to contribute to achieving the highest standards of financial inclusion. These areas include games that promote financial awareness, saving schemes, etc., with an aim to facilitate the life of parents who bring their children to the bank to complete their banking transactions.
Mr. Geert Cappelaere, the UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa region, praised the efforts conducted by the bank to alleviate the hardships confronted by Palestinian children through the projects implemented under the umbrella of corporate social responsibility or through its educational activities. He also expressed his enthusiasm about the bank’s mission towards Palestinian society in general and children and youth in particular, stressing the importance of joint cooperation for the implementation of future projects for children and youth through agreements that contribute to fulfilling the hopes and dreams of Palestinian children.