The UNCTAD MENA Program Consumer Protection Regional Training Center was inaugurated on Wednesday at the Grand Serail in Beirut by the UN Conference on Trade and Development and the Lebanese ministry of economy and trade (MoE&T). On the occasion, MoT general director disclosed the new center will provide services for beneficiary countries including Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Palestine and Yemen. It will host numerous workshops designed for training on consumer protection in collaboration with a large number of foreign experts working with UNCTAD MENA to the end of reaching an advanced framework that ensures the interests of consumers, a safe environment and fair and equitable trade for both consumers and traders, MoT director said. He pointed out that his directorate is working to set up a common database on various subjects related to consumer protection, and stressed the need to develop a warning system between Arab states that eventually can be linked with alarm systems around the world. On a different note, the ministry of agriculture and UNICEF opened yesterday a new training center at al Fanar School of Agriculture named ‘Beit Sitti W Jiddi’ (my grandpa and grandma’s house). The center comes within the framework of the Technical Agricultural Education and Training for Marginalized Youth in Lebanon AVOCADO and as part of the partnership program between the Ministry, UNICEF, and the government of the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, and is managed by EFSI Italian Association and implemented by Biladi Association. To recall, the Avocado program has benefited more than 1,200 Lebanese, Syrian and marginalized Palestinians and students through training and vocational courses in the agriculture sector as well as in life and employment skills. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, April 6 and 7, 2017)