Ad hoc Expert Meeting on Consumer Protection

 The Sixth United Nations Conference to Review All Aspects of the Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices (Geneva, 8-12 November 2010) invited UNCTAD to convene two expert meetings on consumer policy between the Review Conferences, separate from the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Competition Law and Policy.

Following the first expert meeting held on 12 and 13 July 2012, Ad Hoc Expert Meeting on Consumer Protection: The interface between competition and consumer policies, it was decided that UNCTAD should begin a consultation process on the revision United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection (UNGCP). As a result of this consultation and call for contributions, the UNCTAD secretariat produced the Implementation Report on the United Nations guidelines for Consumer Protection (1985-2013) (TD/B/C.I/CLP/23).

The Second Ad Hoc Expert Meeting on Consumer Protection held on 11 and 12 July 2013 discussed the Implementation Report and its conclusions, and proposed the creation of four Working Groups (on e-commerce, financial services, other issues and implementation) that would feed into the UNCTAD Secretariat report on the Modalities for the Revision of the UNGCP to be submitted to the VII UN Review Conference to Review all Aspect of the Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices Set.

An additional Ad Hoc Expert Meeting on Consumer Protection, which was planned under the regular work of the Secretariat and arising from the Doha Mandate will be convened on 22 and 23 January 2015 to discuss the Modalities Report and its conclusions, plus further issues that have been highlighted by Member States and stakeholders as candidates for a proposed inclusion in the Revision of the UNGCP. In order to engage the active participation of all experts, discussions be channelled through "structured sessions", in order to allow for detailed discussions on the draft resolutions on the revision of the UNGCP.