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CCC's Chairman Dr. Haraksingh attends the inaugural meeting of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy in Geneva

Tuesday October 18, 2016

                                                         PRESS RELEASE

CCC's Chairman Dr. Haraksingh Attends The Inaugural Meeting Of The Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy in Geneva

Dr. Kusha Haraksingh, Chairman of the CARICOM Competition Commission is participating this week at the special invitation of UNCTAD in the inaugural meeting of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy at the Palais des Nations, Geneva.

The meeting is authorized by a resolution of the UN general Assembly to launch the revised UN guidelines for consumer protection, a set of principles for setting out the main characteristics of effective legislation, enforcement institutions and redress systems. The revised guidelines are of special importance for the Caribbean as unlike the existing 1985 guidelines, they now include disciplines in ecommerce and financial services. Dr. Haraksingh was a member of the working group which advocated the addition of these new areas.

The meeting noted that despite the rapid growth of ecommerce, many consumers are reluctant to take advantage of the available welfare gains because of concerns about the misuse of their personal data. The meeting also noted that improved financial education strategies that promote financial literacy would assist consumers better to understand their rights in the area of financial services and ensure greater transparency and responsible business conduct by financial service providers and their authorized agents.

In Geneva Dr. Haraksingh will also be participating in the UNCTAD Research Partnership Platform of which he is a founding member. This is a group of academics and practitioners concerned with research on issues and challenges faced by developing countries in the area of competition and consumer protection.

Later this week, also at the special invitation of UNCTAD, Dr. Haraksingh will participate in the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Competition Law and Policy. That meeting will examine the interface between competition law and intellectual property issues, the food retail sector, the relationship between competition authorities and the judiciary, and strategies for ensuring private sector compliance with competition law.