In the presence of officials and the general public and in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, the Association of Banks in Palestine and UNRWA , The Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) launched the second Child & Youth Banking Week on Saturday 16/3/2013 at Ramallah Cultural Palace in order to promote knowledge of banking and finance and expand its remit to the widest possible segments of society, as well providing an opportunity for increasing awareness on banking and finance and guiding students in making sound financial decisions in the future.

This launching ceremony focused on organizing various events for the banking week in Palestine, in collaboration with the Association of Banks, The Ministry of Education, UNRWA and the banking institutions in Palestine, under the slogan of "Tomorrow is Ours." during this week; school students will visit the branches of banks in order to learn about banking services, thereby improving their overall awareness of the banking and finance sector. Banking representatives will visit 1,600 schools in various governorates to develop student's awareness of banking and finance, answer their questions and provide them with 170.000 bulletins on banking affairs and methods of work in the banking sector, as well as the role of money and ways to save and invest. This will educate youth on best spending habits, and make available additional information that can contribute to the protection of the individual and society.

The launch was inaugurated by Dr. Jihad Al Wazir, PMA Governor, with the participation of Dr. Laila Ghannam, Governor of Ramallah/Al-Bireh, Lamis Al Alami, Minister of Education, Joseph Nisnas, Vice Chairman of the Association of Banks, and participating children that involved in the design of the banking week logo, their families and a number of staff from the PMA and the banking sector.

In his opening speech, Al Wazir said that the organization of this competition comes under the framework of PMA's strategy for achieving the financial inclusion of all segments of the Palestinian society, given that our children are a promising generation whom we must prepare to deal with financial institutions in their future. Al Wazir added that in 2011, PMA joined an international association for the financial education of children and young people. The date of March 16 of each year has been formally adopted as the start of the banking week, targeting youth and children. Al Wazir added that "we are currently working on developing some tools and work mechanisms that will contribute significantly to the achievement of financial inclusion, such as creating the national swich, providing phone-banking services, in addition to strengthening the spread of bank branches and activating the role of lending organizations in raising awareness on banking culture."

In her speech, the Minister of Education commented that PMA and the Ministry of Education shared a common interest in increasing the level of awareness on banking among children and youth, in realization of the importance of this awareness, which has long been unavailable to students. It allows them to observe working norms in the corridors of banks and bank branches, and invites them to practice dealing with banks. This is of tremendous value in students' lives, equivalent to the value of their savings. Al-Alami confirmed the partnership between the two institutions and noted that the Ministry of Education reaches out to all institutions concerned with increasing the awareness of the younger generation, guiding them towards a brighter future, and helping them live more effective and dynamic lives.

On the other hand, Dr. Ghannam, Governor of Ramallah/Al-Bireh emphasized the importance of targeting the child and youth sectors in educational and awareness-raising projects, such as banking week. She indicated that this week directly contributes to clarifying the work of banks to students and improving their awareness of the culture of banking and finance. Dr. Ghannam indicated that this serves and supports the national project that aims to promote comprehensive development through investment in human capital, especially youth and children. She also confirmed the role of the banking sector as an important and influential sector in economic development and in serving the national interest.

The Vice-Chairman of the Association of Banks spoke on the role of the banking system in supporting and promoting initiatives that aim to strengthen the relationship between this device and various social strata. He said that the Association of Banks, through the annual banking week activity, contributed to the consolidation of banking awareness, by adopting a range of activities that aimed to develop the awareness of school students and youth. This is borne out of a belief in the role of banks in the development of banking culture. Therein, banks open their doors to children and provide them with an opportunity to become closely acquainted with banking concepts, gain experience and communicate directly with bank employees who provide explanations on banking practices. He added that bank employees will present a series of lectures to enable children and young people to learn about banking concepts, which will be very useful to their future lives. These events will contribute to the formation of their financial vision, while enabling them to take responsibility and plan their financial future.

The Consumers Relations & Market Conduct Department at PMA provided a presentation that touched on the importance of banking week, and the extent to which it complements the philosophy of the international association for the promotion of the financial awareness of children and young people, whose membership now includes 83 participating countries. At the conclusion of the ceremony, a certificate and prize for the best logo were handed to the student Raghad Khader, from Aziz Shaheen Secondary School in the governorate of Ramallah/Al-Bireh. She received a laptop from PMA in recognition of her participation, while a further eighteen students received honorary certificates and savings accounts worth three hundred dollars, granted by banks operating in the country. It is worth mentioning that hundreds of students applied for the banking week logo design contest. A committee has been formed, headed by the artist Suliman Mansour, to choose the winning logo. The ceremony also included a tribute to the artist Suliman Mansour, in recognition of his role and efforts in promoting the awareness of banking.