Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio

The Superintendence of Industry and Commerce as a state agency is responsible for ensuring consumer's rights. Therefore, consumer protection is the set of rules governing consumer relations that arise in a supply chain of goods and services between producers, suppliers and retailers.

ACTION LINE

The 1480 Law from year 2011, specifies the general principles by which it acts this Deputy Superintendence and the benefits consumers in Colombia have:

• The protection of consumers from hazards to their health and safety.
• Access of consumers to adequate information to enable them make informed choices.
• Consumer education.
• Freedom to form consumer organizations and the opportunity of such organizations to present their views in decision-making processes that affect them.
• The special protection to children and adolescents, as consumers, according to what is established by code of childhood and adolescence.

FUNCTIONS

According to Decree 4886 from year 2011, the Deputy Superintendent for Consumer Protection has the following functions:

• Advise the Superintendent of Industry and Commerce in the formulation of policies as it relates to its area.
• Ensure compliance with the rules and laws, and propose new provisions.
• Give support to the Office of Consumer Services and Business Support in the development of outreach, promotion and training activities, in matters within its competence.
• Prohibit or subject to special compliance the requirements of commercial advertising of goods or services which by their nature or components are harmful to health.
• Determine the conditions that guaranteed that goods are dispense until exhausted at the maximum retail price set to the public, before the corresponding official pricing.
• Decide appeals and requests for direct recall filed against acts issued, as well as the appeals filed against the acts issued by the Directors to the office.
• Direct the Directions under its charge and ensure the efficient performance of the functions required.
• Receive and evaluate the reports submitted to them and regularly inform the Superintendent of the state of the affairs of its dependencies and the degree of implementation of its programs.
• Other duties as assigned and which reflect the nature of the dependence.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

International agencies (multilateral and regional) in which the Delegation for Consumer Protection is actively involved on behalf of Colombia are:

1. Multilateral international organizations:
   1. Committee on Consumer Policy and Working Group on Consumer Product Safety of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development - OECD: This Deputy represents the country on the Committee on Consumer Policy and on the Working Group as a participating country.
   2. International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network - ICPEN: We represent the country as Full Members.
   3. International Consumer Product Safety Caucus - ICPSC: We represent the country as Vice-presidents (until July 2014).
2. Regional International Organizations:
   1. Network Security and Health, of the Organization of American States. We represent the country as members.
   2. COMPAL Programme from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development - UNCTAD. The Superintendence represents the country as a beneficiary country for the for Consumer Protection Program.
   3. American Forum of Government Agencies of Consumer Protection - FIAGC. We act in representation of the country as members.
   4. Working Committee for the Promotion and Protection of Consumer Rights of the Andean Community of Nations. The Deputy represents Colombia in this table as a member country.

Also, the Deputy Superintendence for Consumer Protection may cooperate with other consumer protection agencies around the world regarding research or consultation on consumer protection issues. Moreover, those agencies or international organizations may ask, if apply, for specific information on the results and assessing of information on particularly cases.