Enhanced regional cooperation is set to safeguard the well-being and interests of over 600 million consumers in ASEAN through education, mobilisation and representation. As the region continues to grow with increased globalisation, cross border purchasing, changes in consumer demographics and advances in technological innovation, consumer protection ensures that consumers make well-informed decisions about their choices and have access to effective redress mechanisms. It also pushes for businesses to guarantee the quality of the products and services they offer.

According to the ASEAN High-Level Principles on Consumer Protection , consumers have among others the following rights:

1. Consumers are equipped with the skills, knowledge, information and confidence to exercise their rights;
2. Consumers are protected from harmful goods and services;
3. Consumers have access to appropriate and convenient sources of advice and redress including alternative dispute resolution (ADR);
4. Consumers understand the impact of consumption decisions on the shared environment; and
5. Consumers in e-Commerce are protected.
   Consumer protection requires strengthening the awareness of consumers rights; establishing effective and vocal consumer associations, redress
   mechanisms and enforcement machineries; providing up-to-date consumers education; increasing the capacity of government consumer
   agencies and building cross border cooperation and enforcement in an increasingly connected and fast moving global market place.

Regional Cooperation on consumer protection began with the establishment of the inter-governmental ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Consumer Protection, which was later renamed the ASEAN Committee on Consumer Protection (ACCP) in 2007. The ACCP serves as the focal point to implement and monitor regional arrangements and mechanisms to foster consumer protection in the ASEAN Economic Community.

Through the support of ACCP, consumer protection laws are now in place in all 10 ASEAN Member States. ACCP also developed a website and a product recalls portal which features real time notification on product recalls in each AMS. Other strategic approaches such as the development of training tools to strengthen the capacity of consumer protection officials in dealing with issues across various sector are reflected in the strategic approaches under the work plan for the ACCP 2012-2015 .

CONSUMER PROTECTION

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In 2016, the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for Consumer Protection (ASAPCP) 2025 was developed to guide the ACCP’s work towards developing a dynamic, people-centered AEC that generates prosperity and builds consumer confidence. The strategic goals under the ASAPCP 2025 are as follows:

• Establish a common ASEAN consumer protection framework;
• Ensure a high common level of consumer empowerment and protection;
• Ensure high consumer confidence in the AEC; and
• Integrate consumer concerns in all ASEAN policies.
  Following its 5 th year of implementation, the ACCP has among others;
  1. developed the ASEAN Framework of Cross Border Cooperation to provide a menu options to strengthen cooperation amongst consumer protection authorities in the region,
  2. develop the ASEAN Capacity Building Roadmap for Consumer Protection 2025 to assess and enhance the capacity of consumer authorities,
  3. undertake the ASEAN Consumer Empowerment Index to monitor consumer awareness of the consumer protection regime that are in place in the region, and undertaken regional information campaigns to educate consumers on the risks of online shopping.

The implementation of the initiatives under the ASAPCP 2025 has been spearheaded by the ACCP and supported by various development partners such as the ASEAN, Australian and New Zealand Development Cooperation Programme II , GIZ and the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund as well as in cooperation with several development partners such as UNCTAD and the OECD.