GENEVA, Switzerland.- The executive director of the National Institute for the Protection of Consumer Rights (Pro Consumer), Eddy Alcántara, advocated here this Monday for the creation of mechanisms that help prevent abusive practices in electronic commerce to guarantee the protection of users against the growth of misleading advertising, scams, data theft and other crimes through the Internet .
When expounding on the topic “Cross-Border Protection of Consumers in the Area of Consumer Products Considered Unsafe” at the opening session of the VI Assembly of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) held in this city, Alcántara stated that it is necessary to generate innovative solutions to deal with the risks that users take in online purchases.
He argued that while it is true that the digital revolution has come to change consumer activities in a positive way, there are risks for consumers who are increasingly inclined towards the computer business.
“As defense agencies to safeguard the economy of these users, we have the great challenge of continue taking measures that help protect citizens from computer scams, which, to tell the truth, have had sustained growth in the last two years, mainly during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, taking advantage of the exponential expansion who has had online shopping”, said.
“Due to this growth of electronic commerce and that in most cases the consumer is in a different territory from the supplier, it is of the utmost importance to implement initiatives in order to safeguard the rights of consumers, in this type of distance commerce. ”, he insisted.
In this sense, the official highlighted that since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Internet purchases in the Dominican Republic have reached the figure of RD$61,617 million; in 2021 of RD$84,804 million and until May this year 2022 it is around RD$38,865 million.
While with regard to online shopping in the national territory, the sum of RD$28,255.4 was reached in 2020, RD$58,082.0 in 2021 and RD$25,568 in 2022.
“This is why multilateral organizations such as the United Nations must strive to foster consumer confidence in electronic commerce by formulating constant protection policies,” he said.
Dr. Eddy Alcántara, at the event held in the United Nations building in Geneva, assured that in order to guarantee an effective commercialization of goods and services, “It is highly important that the purchase-sale relationships between suppliers and consumers are developed in a regulated environment, seeking equity and security in commercial transactions.”
“As authorities responsible for ensuring consumer protection, it is our duty and commitment in line with international guidelines to examine consumer protection policies to accommodate the special characteristics of electronic commerce and adopt mechanisms that guarantee fair commercial and advertising practices and transparent,” he said.
Alcántara suggested to his counterparts from the countries present at the UNCTAD Assembly, the creation of a working group that allows establishing collaboration mechanisms for the defense of consumers in cross-border marketing.
Likewise, he urged them to work together so that, as consumer protection entities, they encourage decision-making and thus increase everyone’s awareness when making an online purchase.
In his speech, the Dominican official invited the other holders of the agencies of protection of the consumers of the nations participating in the meeting to accompany him in this process “and join in this arduous, but beautiful task of supporting the rights of all buyers of goods, so that absolutely no one is injured by an inappropriate product through virtual stores or businesses
The Chair of the Working Table of the UNCTAD Assemblyafter listening to the approaches and recommendations of Dr. Eddy Alcántara on consumer measures, recognized and valued the importance of his proposals, for which he promised to create a table for the exclusive discussion of the proposal made in this regard by the Dominican Republic.
The commission that is in Geneva participating in the VI Assembly of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy of UNCTAD, chaired by Dr. Eddy Alcántara, is also made up of Ambassador José Sánchez Fung, Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic before the World Trade Organization (WTO); the Legal Director, Johanna Calderón, and the institution’s Director of Communications, Roberto Brito.
