During the last ten years (2005-2015) UNCTAD has developed a unique strategy in the development of the so-called peer reviews on competition policy. This voluntary tool allows for competition authorities in developing countries to undergo a process of self-evaluation as well as of independent evaluation, both of which enable UNCTAD to glimpse what are the strengths and weaknesses of their competition systems. UNCTAD facilitates the drafting of a report that is submitted for examination to authorities of other member states that evaluate the voluntary examined authority and propose the adoption of measures to improve and strengthen it within both, institutional and normative spheres.
Moreover, as an essential and specific supplement, UNCTAD provides a strategy to disseminate the results of the examination/review in the concerned country to all stakeholders in the economic system (legislative, executive, private sector and academia) and to finalize, it actively collaborates with the authority in order to try to change the weaknesses found on the competition regulations and to improve the efficiency on the application of such law.
This strategy of UNCTAD in carrying out of reviews among peers, has been evaluated positively by most member states who have been subjected to such process; however, it is necessary to create a debate to analyse and propose, based on the two external reports made on the results obtained in these ten years, improvements in the methodology of its realization.
The analysis made in these reports and the opinion that has been generated around them by various experts in the field will positively contribute to improve the utilization of this valuable instrument that UNCTAD has in order to provide a more efficient and better tailored technical assistance according to the needs of States that are interested in improving their system of defence and promotion of competition.
