The first Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional training center for consumer protection was officially launched in Beirut, on 5 April, by UNCTAD in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and Trade of Lebanon.
The training center will play an important role in the planning, coordination and implementation of UNCTAD's capacity development activities within the region regarding consumer protection issues, including: product safety, risk assessment, e-commerce, financial services, tourism, misleading advertisement, etc.
- UNCTAD MENA Programme 1st Annual Review Meeting, Beirut, Lebanon (5-6 April)
- UNCTAD's work on Competition Law and Consumer Protection Policy
The center will help address existing training needs and respond to the demand for UNCTAD training in the MENA beneficiary countries (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia and Yemen), while bringing the region's training volume up to par with those of other regions.
The UNCTAD MENA Programme, supported by the Swedish Government, aims to promote regional economic integration through the adoption of competition and consumer protection legislation and policies, gender equality, anti-corruption and good governance in the Middle East and North Africa region, for the period 2015-2020.
The training center illustrates the shared commitment between UNCTAD and its beneficiary member States to use technical assistance and training as a vehicle for economic stability and inclusive growth.
It will offer courses and seminars in Arabic and French for policymakers, government agencies, private sector, sectoral regulators, academia, consumer associations and any other institutions that work with consumer protection issues within the eight beneficiary countries.
The courses will build upon UNCTAD's in-depth experience with capacity development, by drawing on a proven track record of delivering technical assistance on institution building.
