Ad Hoc Expert Group Meeting on Consumer Protection on the emerging consumer protection trends: implementing the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection

Emerging Consumer Protection Trends: Implementing the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection

Consumer protection is a fundamental policy for the development of healthy global markets. Empowered consumers can make informed decisions according to their needs and means thereby playing an active role in the market.

Consumer protection policies are essential to balance asymmetries between consumers and traders, to enforce law against infringers and to provide for dispute resolution and redress for consumers. Furthermore, innovation is happening at a speed never seen before, directly affecting consumers and markets at national, regional and global levels. This requires appropriate policy and regulatory responses.

The UNCTAD Ad Hoc Expert Group Meeting on Consumer Protection Law and Policy will address some of the current consumer protection trends and challenges in policy-making and in the digital economy, while discussing the means of better implementing the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection.

Considering the revised United Nations Guidelines, the question arises: how to make consumers count? The first panel will discuss ways in which governmental consumer protection authorities' advance consumers' interest in the wider policy-making process. These include stronger evidenced-based policy-making through public consultations and surveys, behavioural insights and impact assessment.

The second panel will elaborate on consumer protection in the digital era, which is high on the agenda of consumer protection agencies and other relevant government institutions. The revised United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection include new guidance arising from the digital economy, including on digital platforms, the protection of vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers and consumer data protection, among others. This panel will focus on the growing importance of strengthening consumer protection regimes and upholding consumer rights in the digital marketplace, especially in developing countries.

The outcome of this meeting will feed into the preparations for the Eight United Nations Conference to Review All Aspects of the Multilaterally Agreed Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices to take place in 2020.