At 5th National Quality Conference Opening in Riyadh
Custodian of Two Holy Mosques: Package of Economic Initiatives and Structural Reforms Emphasize Kingdom's Determination to Move Towards Sustainable Development
Kingdom Takes Clear Steps to Improve Products and Services Quality and Markets Efficiency and Support Creativity and Innovation Activities
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, stressed that the Kingdom has released a package of economic initiatives and structural reforms which emphasizes the Kingdom's determination on proceeding forward in the process of sustainable development through clear steps to improve the quality of goods and services and the efficiency of markets and to support creativity and innovation activities, reaching a level that satisfies the beneficiary, ensures his/her safety and enhances the competitiveness of Saudi products and services in various sectors.
At the official opening of the Fifth National Quality Conference last night in Riyadh, under the slogan "Quality.. a strategic choice for promoting sustainability and enhancing competitiveness," King Salman said in a speech delivered, on his behalf, by His Excellency the Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, who is also the Chairman of the Board at Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO), that the Kingdom would witness accelerated development in the coming period after opening the Saudi Market for international companies and announcing a package of governmental initiatives through which promoting the infrastructure of industry and attracting investment in development projects are sought. The goal of this movement is to reach prompt positive results which contribute to achieving the Kingdom's development goals and economic strategies towards the sustainability of the Saudi economy and the diversification of its resources.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques emphasized the importance of adopting and implementing quality concepts in the present time as they have become more necessary for national institutions, both service and industrial ones. He added that the goal of the national strategy of quality is to contribute to forming a comprehensive defined national model of quality for different business sectors. Through this strategy, governmental and private efforts integrate to achieve the national future vision which is to make the Saudi products and services a global standard for quality and excellence.
He pointed out that the Kingdom was established on pure Islamic principles by King Abdulaziz, Allah's mercy be upon him, and his sons have followed his path after him. He stressed that the principles and approaches of quality have emerged basically from ancient Islamic principles and visions. The call to master work and perform it in a good way is a religious demand, and the improvement of the quality of products and services is an important requirement for the construction of the earth and a goal for every passionate citizen who wants the Kingdom, the birthplace of Islam and the land of the Two Holy Mosques, to be one of the most developed countries. He continued saying, "With our belief in the importance of improving human's life and enhancing his/her abilities, the national strategy of quality includes key aspects that deepen quality principles and promote quality culture in different social strata. It also includes the release of initiatives concerned with applying quality and its professional practices in reality."
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques expressed his confidence that everyone is aware of his/her responsibilities and is capable of carrying out his/her roles and duties while being honest with Allah first and then the country and society. He also asked Allah to bless the conference's participants to come out with well-made scientific recommendations to push forward quality and excellence. He hoped that such recommendations would have positive reflections on excellence.
His Excellency the Governor of SASO and the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the conference, Dr. Sa'ad Othman Al-Kasabi, stressed that quality in Saudi Arabia has an ancient history starting from the first day of the Kingdom's establishment. The founder of the Kingdom, King Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Allah's mercy be upon him, was concerned with building a modern country that provides security, sustainability and prosperity for all its citizens, he added. The leaders of this country have continued to provide their support to all fields, especially standardization; as a result, the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization was set up in 1392 H, corresponding to 1972, and became one of the national economy development drives and one of the first standards and standardization bodies in our Islamic and Arab world, he said. A package of improvement steps for this significant body has followed and continued until the organization's name was changed in 1430 H, corresponding to 2009, to the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO). The organization was selected to be the national reference of quality, which reflects the Kingdom's attention to follow up with the methodologies of administrative and industrial development in this important field, and to enhance competitiveness as well as sustainability of the national economy.
Dr. Al-Kasabi pointed out that the year 1434 H, corresponding to 2014, witnessed the launch of the national future vision for quality in the Kingdom, which is "to make the Saudi products and services a global standard for quality and excellence by 2020." The vision confirms that there is no other choice but to accelerate steps in this rapid changing world in order to invest all the available possibilities to improve the quality of products and the levels of provided services. The quality is no longer an administrative luxury or a form of propaganda and showing-off; rather, it has become a strategic choice for nations' advance, one of the economies development fundamentals and one of the influential standards that enhance nations' competitiveness, he added.
His Excellency clarified that since obtaining the royal approval of holding the Fifth National Quality Conference, SASO has started to coordinate with concerned sectors to form a steering committee for the conference which was assigned to organize the conference work and plan its scientific and training programs. The slogan of the conference "Quality .. a strategic choice for promoting sustainability and enhancing competitiveness" was chosen to express the importance of the current phase and to encourage the adoption of professional practices to achieve efficiency in reaching the Kingdom's development goals in accordance with Islamic principles and values which demand excellence and quality. One of the most significant advantages of this conference is to adopt a methodology in all the scientific sessions' lectures that integrates between reviewing pioneering national experiences and future trends, and benefiting from unique international expertise and practices. This methodology reflects the conference's goal set by the organizers which is to make a quantum leap in adopting quality practices in reality.
His Excellency also pointed out that the scientific program of the conference includes 22 working papers in 6 sessions about quality and institutional sustainability, quality in education, quality and competitiveness, quality in health, quality in services and creativity and innovation. The program also includes a special session about the future of quality in the Kingdom with a review of the most important national initiatives in this respect, he added. He hoped that this event would come out with constructive ambitious initiatives which achieve the goals of this conference. On behalf of himself and all specialists concerned with quality in the Kingdom, Dr. Al-Kasabi expressed his thanks and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, for his generous support to this event and to the Minister of Trade and Industry for his continuous support and attention to improve the services provided by SASO. He also extended his thanks and gratitude to the sponsors of the conference, session moderators, speakers, participants and all sessions' members that have contributed to organizing this conference in a professional way.
On the other hand, Dr. Gregory H. Watson, an American expert, said in a speech delivered, on behalf of the main speakers, that the quality in its general concept means the practice that pursues achieving goodness and avoiding bad things. He clarified that he and other international speakers came from outside the Kingdom to share their knowledge and expertise and that although they are experts, they are also students learning from life and participating in this conference with the best they have got.
At the end of the ceremony, His Excellency the Minister of Trade and Industry honored the sponsors of the conference. Moreover, His Excellency the Governor of SASO presented souvenirs to the sponsors and then opened the accompanied exhibition.