The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) welcomes the new United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection as an opportunity to put consumers at the heart of business and development.
DTI Officer-in-Charge for Secretary and DTI-Consumer Protection Group (CPG) Undersecretary Atty. Victorio Mario A. Dimagiba asserts, “The Department accepts the United Nation General Assembly’s adoption of the revised UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection (UNGCP).
The adoption of the revised guidelines was made through a resolution last 22 December 2015 in New York City.
The highlights of the revised guidelines include:
- First comprehensive revision of the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer protection (UNGCP) since 1985 addresses gaps in financial services, privacy, energy, travel and tourism.
- Access to essential goods and services, and the protection of vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers are recognised as new consumer legitimate needs.
- Updated UN Guidelines can play an important role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by protecting and empowering consumers in developing nations.
- Consumers International, the world federation of consumer organisations, calls for governments to update their consumer protections in line with the new UN Guidelines and challenges businesses to ensure their practices are compliant.
The UNGCP were first adopted in 1985 and have acted as a blueprint for consumer protection around the world. They are estimated to have guided the development of consumer protection in more than 100 countries.
The Guidelines give governments, business and civil society high level guidance on issues including the recognition of new consumers’ legitimate needs, promotion and protection of consumers’ economic interests, standards for the safety and quality of consumer goods and services to redress and coordination of enforcement efforts between consumer protection agencies around the world. If implemented globally the revised Guidelines would extend protections for consumers everywhere.
OIC/ Usec Dimagiba reports, “Recently, both the Senate and the House of Representatives under the Committees on Trade and Industry have been deliberating on the amendments to the Consumer Act of the Philippines to update the areas of consumer protection as it applies to e-Commerce, motu propio cases powers by the DTI, and increasing penalties for violation of the Consumer Act”.
The new UNGCP key additions are:
- Recognition of access to essential goods and services, and the protection of vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers as new consumer legitimate needs;
- New guidance on e-commerce, parity of treatment between online and offline consumers and protection of consumer privacy;
- New guidance on financial services, public utilities, good business practices and international cooperation;
- A new Intergovernmental Group of Experts (IGE) on consumer protection law and policy to monitor the implementation of the Guidelines, serving as a forum for exchange.
The UNGCP are a powerful tool to help governments implement many of these goals. Adequate consumer protection can directly support the achievement of SDGs relating to ending hunger and encouraging healthy diets by supporting access to safe, affordable and nutritious food; to health and well-being by protecting consumers from unsafe products that cause illness or injury and expanding access to effective pharmaceuticals. In addition, sustained and inclusive growth is supported by ensuring consumers, as the largest group in the economy, are empowered and well represented.
The DTI is a Member of Consumers International, the international federation of consumer organisations.
For more information, call the DTI-CPG at 751.3236.