01 October 2019
Hotel Real Intercontinental
San Salvador
, El Salvador
Since 2011, UNCTAD's COMPAL Programme has been hosting the annual International Consumer Protection Forum, which has grown to be the major public forum on consumer protection issues in Latin America with over 300 participants. It aims to provide a space for policy makers and other relevant stakeholders such as businesses, consumer associations, academia, practitioners and the public at large to exchange views on current and future challenges and trends to the welfare of consumers.
The ninth edition of the International Consumer Protection Forum will discuss access by consumers to essential goods and services. It will also address consumer challenges in the digital economy. Inter-agency cross-border cooperation in law enforcement is one of the major challenges in the midst of globalization and the digital revolution. The Forum will discuss ways in which consumer protection authorities and stakeholders can improve the welfare of consumers in case of cross-border breaches of consumer law. Finally, the Forum will explore the ways of participation of the private sector in public policy making, in particular through autoregulation and co-regulation.
Consumer protection is a major means for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, as an empowered consumer contributes to a more sustainable and inclusive development. For consumers to exercise their full potential, state and business policies need to be implemented.
In its resolution 70/186 of 22 December 2015 on Consumer Protection, the United Nations General Assembly recalled that "a robust legal and regulatory framework for consumer protection… serves an important public interest, contributing to economic dynamism and consumer welfare. The United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection add that " Businesses and their authorized agents should have due regard for the interests of consumers and responsibility for upholding consumer protection as an objective”.
Consumer protection not only contributes to sustainable and inclusive development, but also enhances the competitiveness of economies and businesses. Higher standards of protection encourage businesses to improve the goods and services they offer, being more competitive at national and international levels.
Past editions were hosted in Guayaquil, Lima, Santo Domingo, Bogotá, Cuzco, Guanacaste, Mendoza and Guadalajara.
Participants: Consumer Protection Agencies from Latin America, North America and the Caribbean Region and Europe
Panelists:
• Ricardo Salazar, President of the Consumer Ombudsman, El Salvador
• Ricardo Arturo Salazar, Consumer Ombudsman, El Salvador
• Fernando Blanco Muiño, Director Nacional de Defensa del Consumidor, Argentina
• Lucas del Villar, Director of the National Service for Consumer Protection, Chile
• Cynthia Zapata, Director for Consumer Protection, Costa Rica
• Francisco Ricardo Sheffield, Federal Attorney for Consumers, Mexico
• Catarina Fonseca, Director General for Consumers, Portugal
• Alvaro Fuentes, Director for Consumer Protection, Uruguay
• Wendy Ledesma, National Director for Consumer Protection, Peru
• Maria Carolina Corcionne, Superintendent delegate for Consumer Protection, Colombia
• Michael Panzera, Federal Trade Commission, United States
• Ricardo Maguiña, CONAR-Latin America
• Ricardo Arturo Salazar, Consumer Ombudsman, El Salvador
• Fernando Blanco Muiño, Director Nacional de Defensa del Consumidor, Argentina
• Lucas del Villar, Director of the National Service for Consumer Protection, Chile
• Cynthia Zapata, Director for Consumer Protection, Costa Rica
• Francisco Ricardo Sheffield, Federal Attorney for Consumers, Mexico
• Catarina Fonseca, Director General for Consumers, Portugal
• Alvaro Fuentes, Director for Consumer Protection, Uruguay
• Wendy Ledesma, National Director for Consumer Protection, Peru
• Maria Carolina Corcionne, Superintendent delegate for Consumer Protection, Colombia
• Michael Panzera, Federal Trade Commission, United States
• Ricardo Maguiña, CONAR-Latin America
UNCTAD:
• Arnau Izaguerri, Legal Officer, Competition and Consumer Policies Branch
Co-organizer(s):
UNCTAD/COMPAL and Consumer Ombudsman, El Salvador
Sponsor / funding:
UNCTAD/COMPAL and host country
Language(s)
English | Español |
