Dissemination of UNCTAD's Voluntary Peer Review on Consumer Protection Law and Policy of Thailand

The Voluntary Peer Reviews on Consumer Protection Law and Policy are an international level are conducted only at UNCTAD, as mandated by the General Assembly in resolution 70/186 of 22 December 2015 on Consumer Protection. They are part of the UNCTAD Tool box. Thailand was the fifth country to undergo this review.

The United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection (General Assembly resolution 70/186 of 22 December 2015) call for fair, effective, transparent and impartial mechanism to address consumer complaints, including for cross-border cases, and require online consumers shall be provided no less protection than the one in other commercial forms.

The Voluntary Peer Review on Consumer Protection Law and Policy of Thailand was conducted at the Sixth Session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy on 18-19 July 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland, under the auspices of UNCTAD and the leadership of the Office of the Consumer Protection Board of Thailand. The dissemination of the findings and recommendations emanating from the Voluntary Peer Review of Thailand report aims to raise awareness among relevant stakeholders envisaging the future implementation of suggested actions to improve consumer policies and welfare. 

In the ambit of consumer’s day celebrations in Thailand, the Office of the Consumer Protection Board of Thailand is hosting a public event in Bangkok to disseminate the findings and recommendations of Voluntary Peer Review on Consumer Protection Law and Policy of Thailand on the impact that those recommended actions can have in improving consumer policies and welfare. The ultimate goal is to support policy and institutional reform and to strengthen consumer protection in the country.

Invited by the Office of the Consumer Protection Board of Thailand, UNCTAD is co-organizing the dissemination activities, which also count on the special participation of Mr. Ularn Jiwcharoen, Deputy Secretary General , Office of the Consumer Protection Board, Dr. Wimonrat Teriyapirom, Director of International Cooperation, Office of the Consumer Protection Board, and representing the peer reviewers, Mr. Marcus Isgren, Chairman and Head of the Swedish General Complaints Board, ARN. 

More than fifty authorities are invited to the among representatives of government such as the Office of Insurance Commission and the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission, members of related Ministries and Regulation Agencies; policymakers, businesses and business associations; consumer protection associations and academia.

Participants / Invitees / Panellists
•    Mr. Ularn Jiwcharoen, Deputy Secretary General , OCPB, Thailand
•    Dr. Wimonrat Teriyapirom, Director of International Cooperation, Office of the Consumer Protection Board, OCPB, Thailand
•    Mr. Marcus Isgren, Chairman and Head of the General Complaints Board, ARN, Sweden
•    Ana Cipriano, Legal Officer, UNCTAD 
•    Arnau Izaguerri, Legal Officer, UNCTAD