The field visits will launch the UNCTAD-ASEAN project entitled "Enhancing AMS with effective capacities to adopt and implement consumer protection laws at the national level"
The project will address the need for improved technical competencies and institutional capacity within consumer protection agencies in ASEAN and build a critical mass of consumer protection trainers who are able to contribute in raising the level of compliance with consumer protection laws and regulations.
The project will build/strengthen capacity of government agency personnel through the design, development and delivery of training programs, including modular components or materials, focusing on the technical requirements provisionally involving 6 core areas, as identified in the "Road-mapping Capacity Building Needs in Consumer Protection in ASEAN" project.
These areas are:
1) Product safety and labelling
2) Phone and internet services, and e-commerce
3) Consumer credit and banking
4) Environment
5) Healthcare services
6) Professional services
Purpose of the event
The field visit aims to identify the needs and priorities of Thailand in the area of Consumer Protection Law and Policy, particularly their capacities to deal with consumer protection issues such as product safety and labelling; phone and internet services, and e-commerce; consumer credit and banking; environment; healthcare services; and professional services.
The field work programme will also be addressing the following additional items:
Conduction of interviews with government officials and representatives of the overall institutional framework that encompasses the administrative and regulatory aspects of consumer protection law in the project countries as well as aspects of private and procedural law.
Compliance and the tradition of day-to-day business conduct also majorly influence the level of consumer welfare and consumer protection. To this end, UNCTAD also aims to conduct consultations with representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and Civil society working on consumer protection matters.
Due to the diversity of political systems, UNCTAD would also propose to speak to foreign Chamber of Commerce such as AmCham or the EU Chamber of Commerce.
If possible, UNCTAD will carry out interviews with legal professionals involved in day-to-day consumer litigation to identify some of the most common practical obstacles to consumer protection.
Expected outcome / Deliverables
Once UNCTAD finalises the field visits, the main outcome to be drafted is the inception report, which will have tentatively the following sections:
Approach, methodology and activities of the project towards meeting overall goals, outcomes and outputs, including monitoring and evaluation, risk management as well as quality assurance (QA) methods (if applicable)
Preliminary review of the literature (not simply a list of references), where appropriate
Work plan detailing activities and timelines, staffing plan for the activities to be undertaken, and outputs to be produced (including quality assurance activities, if applicable)
Analytical and data collection materials to be used such as draft questionnaires, conceptual frameworks, analytical techniques to be utilized or interview guidelines (if necessary)
For training programs, proposed outline of the training program and the content of the training modules
Participants:
UNCTAD
- Mr. Hassan Qaqaya, Head of the UNCTAD Competition and Consumer Policies Branch
- Mr. Pierre Horna, Legal Affairs Officer of the Competition and Consumer Policies Branch
- Dongryeul Shin, Economic Affairs Officer of the Competition and Consumer Policies Branch
Thailand:
- Secretariat for the Prime Minister Office
- Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) and its Ad-hoc, Sub Committees, etc.
- Ministry of Commerce
- Ministry of Justice
- Sectoral regulators (Telecoms; Electricity; Water)
- Two to three consumer associations (At least one of the organisations should be local and one organisation should be international / part of an international group).
- Supreme Court of Thailand (Civil law chamber)
- The Thai Bar Association (Civil law division - Consumer litigation).
- The Thai Chamber of Commerce
- Foreign Chambers of Commerce (AmCham; EU-Thailand Chamber of Commerce).
