An empty chair every time an Israeli representative speaks in protest against the genocide committed in Gaza. This is what happened this Tuesday and Wednesday in Paris, during the meeting of the Committee for Consumer Policy (CCP) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Thus, the Spanish Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda, Pablo Bustinduy, left on Tuesday during the intervention of Yaacov Zrihen, member of the Economic and Commercial Mission of Israel to the OECD and head of Consumer Protection and Commerce of Righteous Israel. . Once the Israeli representative’s intervention was over, Bustinduy returned to the room. At that time, the session entitled “Protecting and empowering consumers in the digital transition” took place.
And he did the same this Wednesday during the intervention of Nir Barkat, Minister of the Economy and member of the economic and commercial mission of the permanent delegation of Israel to the OECD. During today’s session, there is a discussion table entitled Protecting and empowering consumers in the ecological transition, Barkat, Minister of the Economy, spoke about the attack of October 7 and the fact that Israel is preparing to win the war, as are Hamas and Hezbollah according to sources. here.
Thus, as happened on Tuesday, Minister Bustinduy was absent during the intervention of the Israeli minister and returned to the room once his speech was finished.
A few weeks ago, during the United Nations General Assembly, several delegations walked out of the plenary session as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke. The Spanish delegation, for its part, decided to stay in its place to listen to the man who had just given the order to invade southern Lebanon after having caused more than 40,000 deaths in his offensive on Gaza.
Bustinduy will also not be part of the official photo of the event so as not to appear alongside the Israeli representative.
Letters to Spanish businesses
This is not the first action carried out by Minister Bustinduy in relation to the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Last May, he sent letters to Spanish companies with significant economic activity in Israel urging them to adopt the necessary measures, in accordance with international law and the 2030 Agenda itself. “This is an initiative that seeks to find solutions to put an end to it. genocide in Palestine and is presented as an additional action in the political line of the Spanish government which seeks to recognize the State of Palestine and promote its entry as a full member of the UN”, they explained in Social rights.
The intention of the Minister of Social Rights, his department explained, was to avoid the risk that the economic activities of Spanish companies in the region could contribute to the human rights violations committed by the State of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip, against the Palestinian population.
Previously, Minister Bustinduy met in his ministry with the Palestinian Ambassador to Spain, Husni Abdel Wahed, to convey to him Palestine’s offer to be the official guest of Spain’s participation in the High-Level Political Forum. level, which was held at the UN headquarters in New York. in July.
Bustinduy, in July, during an event at Casa Arabe, stressed that what is happening in Gaza “is not a catastrophe or anything resembling self-defense; It’s genocide. Bustinduy insisted on the importance of “continuing to talk about Palestine using the right words.” “Faced with the immensity of this barbarity, it seems that words of denunciation also lose their value. It even seems that we are losing the capacity for hypocrisy and even preaching no longer works, but it is important to continue. »
“Words matter because they carry consequences and those responsible must answer for their actions before an international court,” he said. “This is why the South African government’s decision to end the genocide is not only a courageous and necessary step, but also serves to express the right words about what is happening and to give meaning to those words. »
International consumer coalitions
The Spanish Minister of Consumer Affairs, Pablo Bustinduy, participated in a meeting at the OECD with his counterparts from other member countries with the intention of “building the necessary coalitions and alliances” for the international regulation of consumption, reports Efe.
Bustinduy emphasized in statements to the media upon his arrival at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris that “Spain occupies a pioneering position”, even if state regulations “are not enough”, particularly when it attempts to regulate. action in digital activity in which “large multinationals monopolize immense power”.
“Cooperation, collaboration and joint action are necessary to be able to guarantee consumer rights”, he underlined, before emphasizing that Spain has undertaken “a series of courageous and interesting initiatives” and that what she wants in meetings like today is to “share this experience and be able to move forward” in a common settlement.
In this regard, the minister announced that he was going to present his bill on sustainable consumption “with the actions that his department has carried out for the regulation and prevention of fraud in air transport, in electronic commerce, in particular in seasonal rentals. tourist platforms and apartments or with hidden advertising.
“We believe – he stressed – that we have a lot to contribute and, at the same time, we also know that we need the cooperation and collaboration of our international partners to be able to generate a safe digital environment”.
Beyond his interventions during the ministerial meeting, Bustinduy stressed that he also has “an intense agenda of bilateral meetings where we will share information” on some of his actions in recent times.
He also recalled that within the European Union, progress has been made with two directives which affect the repairability of products and eco-posture, and that they are being transposed into the law on sustainable consumption to try to “take them further”.
Regarding greenwashing, the minister considered that common rules are necessary to prevent it and guarantee that in the ecological transition, consumers “have reliable and sufficient information” when purchasing goods and services.
