Ulaanbaatar
Consumer protection being promoted during COVID-19
Society
Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. In cooperation with the Mongolian Authority for Fair Competition and Consumer Protection (AFCCP), the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are promoting consumer protection during the COVID-19 pandemic by organizing an international e-workshop on “Consumer agencies’ role during the Covid-19 pandemic” in celebration of World Consumer Rights Day on 15 March 2021.
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world, certain goods and services quickly rose into high demand. Necessities such as hand sanitizer, surgical masks, and disposable gloves came into short supply as panic spread and people purchased in bulk. In Mongolia, prices of essential goods such as food fluctuated wildly, as sellers took advantage of an unprecedented crisis to manipulate markets which has escalated both the pace of change and the urgency to protect consumers.
The virtual workshop gathers members of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) including agencies in the People’s Republic of China and Italy, and invites representatives of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to share their experiences during the pandemic, and to exchange international best practices of competition and consumer protection agencies in response to the crisis.
During the workshop the Mongolian Authority for Fair Competition and Consumer Protection (AFCCP) will introduce its plan to develop a Mongolian Consumer Satisfaction Index (CSI). Consumer Satisfaction Indexes can be used to assess consumer awareness of their rights, identify policy and legal needs regarding consumer protection, and determine economic policies.
This workshop takes place within the framework of the “Competition in Mongolia: Legal Reform and Institutional Capacity Building” (2019-2021) Project funded by the EBRD and implemented by IDLO Mongolia. IDLO is the only global intergovernmental organization exclusively devoted to promoting the rule of law to advance sustainable development.
IDLO has experience working in more than 90 countries around the world with various legal systems. Its network includes thousands of trusted experts, alumni and partners. Established as an intergovernmental organization in 1988, IDLO has had United Nations Observer Status since 2001.
For more information on IDLO in Mongolia, see here.
