Businesses and consumers play key roles in preventing unsafe products from reaching the market, and their response is essential when safety risks arise. As part of its technical cooperation activities, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will organize an online workshop for business and consumer associations in Rwanda under the project "Strengthening Consumer Product Safety in Sub-Saharan African Countries", funded by the Government of Japan.
The project aims to support Rwanda in strengthening its consumer product safety framework in response to the country's need to better protect consumers from unsafe goods. It seeks to assist the Government in developing effective and efficient regulatory systems, strengthening institutional capacity and raising stakeholder awareness to reduce risks associated with hazardous products.
The workshop will introduce the United Nations Principles for Consumer Product Safety, with a focus on the roles of businesses and consumers. Discussions will cover practical approaches for businesses to address product safety risks, ensure compliance and traceability, and take corrective action when safety problems arise. They will also explore how consumer associations can identify and report unsafe products and incidents, raise awareness of safety risks, and disseminate safety and recall information. The workshop aims to strengthen participants’ understanding of their respective roles and encourage cooperation to improve consumer product safety in Rwanda.
