The COMPAL II Programme has been engaged in strengthening regional cooperation in consumer protection issues since 2009. One of the main activities in this regard is the organization of yearly fora to discuss policy issues among COMPAL members and other countries of the Americas. Up until now, there have been two International Consumer Protection Fora: Guayaquil in 2011, and Lima, 2012. Whereas the first one addressed the relationship between competition and consumer protection, the second one dealt with current issues such as: educational programmes for young consumers, e-commerce, product recall and the revision of the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection.
The Third International Consumer Protection Forum will be held in the city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, gathering 20 delegates of consumer protection agencies of the Americas to discuss current policy issues with relevance for the region. This edition will be devoted to: the revision of the United Nations Guidelines on Consumer Protection; consumer educational programmes for providers; inter-agency cooperation in tourism; and data protection in e-commerce. The Forum will also count with the participation of civil society stakeholders, namely consumer and business organizations. Its objective is to commonly reflect upon the issues raised while building consensus on how to address common challenges in the region and exchange best practices where appropriate. Ultimately, the conclusions of this Forum will direct the action of the COMPAL Programme in consumer protection issues.
Expected outcome / Deliverables
- participation of high level state officials (ministers, heads of consumer protection agencies, diplomats)
- Latin American input for the revision of the UN Guidelines on Consumer Protection (to be discussed in IGE in Geneva, July 2013)
- agreed conclusions of the Forum
- directions to the capacity building work of UNCTAD
Participants: UNCTAD's COMPAL Programme, representatives of the agencies/countries of: Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, and United States.
