(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) It is with pleasure that I join with you this morning to deliver the feature address at this Seminar for the delivery of training on CARICOM’S Rapid Alert System for Dangerous Goods.
At the outset let me join those, who have preceded me and welcome you to Barbados for what promises to be an informative and educational session.
I would be remiss if I did not commend the CSME Unit and the European Union for their strong support and sponsorship of this seminar.
The Secretariat must be praised for its foresight in putting together a system which seeks, at the national level, to harmonise and manage the actions within member states with respect to market surveillance.
This course of action which was initiated at the July 2010 Meeting by the Caricom Secretariat and is the product of the policy proposals for the consumer issues including product safety was further endorsed by the thirty second (32nd) Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development in May 2011.
As early as 2002, regional governments and NGOs were expressing concerns about unsafe foods in the marketplace. Obviously trade liberalisation and globalisation have brought both benefits and challenges. This seminar will go a long way in helping regional governments ensure that items purchased by citizens are safe and of the expected high quality by ensuring that those products which do not are identified and intercepted before harm is done to unsuspecting consumers.
No government, regardless of the depth of its desire to protect its people from harm, is able to effectively enforce even the best consumer laws absent of effective market surveillance and close collaboration with Non-Governmental Organisations and other states.
Cognisant of the effects of trade liberalization in the absence of effective market surveillance CARICOM member states have taken the important step of drafting a CARICOM Model Consumer Protection Bill by the CARICOM Secretariat. This has since been approved by CARICOM’s Ministerial Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED).
This legislation will empower the authorized department of government to promote and ensure the safety of products sold to consumers in respective Member states. Further, suppliers of goods will be responsible for the supply of goods which do not meet the safety requirement.
Such a legislative advance should be seen as being strengthened by the Rapid Alert System about which you will learn a great deal more over the next couple of days.
This will not, however, be a solitary event. Over the next five years further training will be undertaken to strengthen the capacity of Member States for the effective operation of the System. This continuous training will seek to impart skills and information on the following:
Delivery of further training in the management of market surveillance. Support of Member States in the drafting of Memoranda of Understanding to facilitate cooperation at the national level among relevant regulators. Development of draft code of practice of Economic operators.
There will also be attention paid to the provision of supplies and equipment to the various Consumer Affairs Departments.
You will note that on May 25, 2011 the CARICOM Secretariat implemented a consumer protection project to assist Barbados and other CARICOM Member states in the enhancement of market surveillance capacity, with respect to the free movement of non-foods and non-medical items, which are known to threaten the health and safety of consumers. The system consists of IT and communication protocols to facilitate the rapid dispatch of alerts from each member state to the Secretariat. This, I must say, is a welcome innovation that will allow governments to be nimble on the behalf of citizens. The capacity to share information quickly is certainly needed in these times which are characterized by the fast pace at which products can now crisscross national borders.
The system, therefore, serves a dual purpose. It encourages the internal review by states of products that may pose risks to their peoples and it facilitates the sharing of such information intra-regionally for the benefit of CARICOM Members.
Specifically, this system will allow for the receipt and delivery of information on any potential risk. It will also allow governments to inform a fellow member state of action that is contemplated or has been taken to limit or prevent the importation of products that have been identified for such treatment on the basis of the danger which they pose to consumers.
Again, I wish to highlight the benefits of CARICOM-EU collaboration. For, as many of you know, the system that will be implemented is modeled on the European Rapid Alert System for Exchange of Information on Dangerous Goods (RAPEX) and Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) Systems.
The piece-meal approach of the past can no longer suffice. This project contemplates a comprehensive holistic approach and builds on the plan of action which arose from the Needs Assessment Study in March 2010, held in Port of Spain.
Further, a recent audit revealed the need for greater co-operation and coordination of action of regional bodies in respect of protecting the health and safety consumers.
A CARICOM approach is particularly necessary given the similarity of products offered within the region and the fact that we are increasingly net importers with declining terms of trade. This new system, then, is designed to ensure that regional governments possess, and are able to manage, mechanisms for effective market surveillance. It is also intended to ensure that the human and technical services available to them optimize public safety.
Further, it will serve as a means of providing the environment, whereby products can compete in the market equally. Persons who import or produce products for retail purposes will be even more encouraged to ensure that items meet essential safety and health requirements.
In such an environment, I am sure, we will see local and regional markets become more competitive as conditions are continually created to support quality goods.
Ladies and Gentleman, this project could very well contribute to the wider socio-economic system. I foresee that it will redound to more rigorous application of product standards, deeper levels of trust between those who buy and sell, more opportunities for trade and, ultimately, increased consumer satisfaction. As Minister responsible for consumer issues I am aware that we in this region need to be vigilant as we seek to safeguard consumers amidst the plethora of products offered to them. I am also very aware that the manufacturers and distributors owe the consumers a duty of care. In all this, however, each consumer must make informed choices when purchasing products. They must also remember that the onus is on them to notify the relevant agency in the event that they receive unsatisfactory or inferior products, or was adversely affected by their use.
The Government of Barbados will continue to be vigilant as the many products offered here increasingly evolve. We already have a good basis on which to conduct this important work. For example, a legislative infrastructure has been established, with the Miscellaneous Controls Act, the Standards Act and the Metrology Act all being important parts. There is also the Consumer Protection Act and this legislation has been complemented by the Fair Trading Commission, which was specifically established to apply and administer this Act.
In addition to the above, the Office of Public Counsel was established to further enhance the rights of the consumer. This office is responsible for the management of the Consumer Guarantees Act.
However, as I intimated before, a CARICOM approach to consumer protection issues is critical to achieve long-term and sustainable success.
Those of you attending the course over the next two days are reminded that even with conventional policies it has been difficult not to find applicability in the principle of caveat emptor, that is, let the buyer beware. You will, therefore, need to bring your skills to bear on this innovative system as you seek to protect consumers from dangerous goods.
It is my desire that at the conclusion of this Seminar that the respective governments represented will achieve more than I have even contemplated or expressed a desire to achieve here today.
Finally, though many if not all of you would have visited these shores, I invite you to take some time after the course has ended to enjoy the many hospitalities on offer here in Barbados. If this opportunity is not afforded you this time around I invite you to come again with your families and friends and rest a while.
Again I wish you a productive meeting and a pleasant stay in Barbados.
