Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio

In its role as National Authority for Consumer Protection, the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce has had actively participated in various working groups, initiatives, and events of the United Nations Conference On Trade And Development, including the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy.

The United Nations Conference On Trade And Development (UNCTAD) assists developing countries to formulate and implement competition and consumer protection policies and laws, including facilitating international cooperation among competition and consumer protection agencies and sharing best practices.

The Intergovernmental Group of Experts (IGE) of UNCTAD provides a forum for consultations, technical assistance and monitors the application and implementation of the guidelines, among other duties. As a member of the IGE, the SIC has been invited to be a panelist in the fifth session.

The SIC shared the main panel with the consumer protection authorities from the Republic of Belarus, Sweden, and Côte d'Ivoire. The Speakers presented the actions undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic, including law enforcement, cooperation with businesses, protecting vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers, and facilitating access to justice.

The Deputy Superintendent, Maria Carolina Corcine, spoke about the possible emerging trends and challenges in consumer protection in the aftermath of the pandemic. She highlighted the growth of e-commerce, the implementation of more effective alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, and traditional services' digitalization. Regarding the challenges, Deputy Corcione mentioned the liability of intermediaries in new business models, the constant growth of unfair business practices in the digital markets and, the circulation of known unsafe products.

Finally, the IGE renew the mandate of the Working Group on Consumer Product Safety and of the Working Group on Consumer Protection in E-commerce, where the SIC participated and leads some of the projects like the Sub-working Group on Misleading Environmental Claims and the Informal Steering Committee of the Working Group on Consumer Product Safety.