cpa egypt fringe fahim shedid
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Challenges and Accomplishments
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•Mr. Amr Fahim –Executive Director•Rania Shedid – NGOs Coordinator
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•Mr. Amr Fahim –Executive Director•Rania Shedid – International Relations and NGOs Coordinator
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Educating consumers about their rights, empowering them to practice smart buying behavior
Ensuring that business comply with consumer laws, and improve customer relations
Helping consumers to resolve complaints Cooperating with governmental enforcement
authorities to ensure effective implementation of the Consumer Protection Law
Forming social partnerships with consumer organizations and building their capacities to play an important role in consumer protection
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Consumer Education and Awareness Earning credibility of the public ( both suppliers
and consumers) through:• Ensuring fair trading at the market level.• Maintaining effective response in fighting illicit
business and counterfeited and unsafe products.• Balancing and strengthening the link between
consumers and the market. Promoting, through the purchasing power of
consumers, a ‘need oriented development ‘ that will ensure socio-economic justice and environmental quality of life for all
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Coordinating with governmental enforcement bodies in resolving consumer complaints.
Establishing market surveillance systems in coordination with enforcement governmental authorities and consumer organizations.
Coordinating with International consumer organizations in regards to: • Capacity building• Learning and sharing best experiences and practices• Providing of financial support necessary for:• CPA operations• Development of consumer organizations
Development and empowerment of consumer organizations
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Endorsement of Executive regulations Finalizing of the organizational chart and
hiring of more than 40 personnel in different areas
Finalizing internal regulations with all concerned ministries
Conduct awareness program on CPL three main obligations (Receipt, Return Policy, Labeling), through print ads and TV spots
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Establishing CPA headquarters and finalizing renovations in an additional Cairo branch
Launch the pilot call center covering all greater Cairo
Launch project with the postal authority to avail FREE complaint forms for consumers all over Egypt
Handle 1800 complaints with up to 75% success rate
Launching of CPA website Begin installation of an additional CPA branch in
Egypt’s second largest city
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In establishing strategic International relationships:• Government affiliate members at CI• Proceeding with partnership requirements with
the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN)
• Finalizing membership procedures with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
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In regards to development of consumer organizations:• Conducting Consumer Protection and Consumer
Organizations Seminar• Dividing consumer organizations in Egypt into five
main geographical areas/sectors• Appointment of a coordinator to each sector, and
representation in CPA board of directors.• Financing efficient consumer organizations to conduct
market research studies• Financing the two first issues of a periodical produced
by a consumer organization• Designing a capacity building plan that aims at
developing consumer organizations both generic and technical abilities.
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Consumer Education. Receive, verify and handle consumers’
complaints. Bring legal actions related to consumers’
interests. Present consumer related information to the
concerned governmental entities. Assisting in establishing effective market
surveillance systems. Carry out market surveys and studies. Establishing an information database. Lobby for issues of common consumer interest.
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The main deficiencies are as follows:• Existence of a big number of non-active consumer
organizations.• Lack of unified work plans and ideology • Lack of effective network relationships.• Lack of trust and credibility of the public in
regards to consumer organizations’ effectiveness and efficiency.
• Diminished membership base.
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• Lack of the following essential resources: Suitable work venues. Internal governance procedures. Training on consumer protection activities and
techniques Well trained, full time personnel. Technical and financial resources necessary for basic
daily consumer protection activities. Lack of supporting infrastructure and databases.
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Consumer organizations cannot receive donations from trade industries
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Capacity building of consumer organizations Launching of consumer organizations’
activities
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Raising the institutional capacities of the consumer organizations- Internal governance, financial management, Advocacy and lobbying power
Technical consumer related training on consumer protection services and outreach- Technical assistance is vital given that consumer protection activities are new to Egypt in general and NGOs/ Consumer organizations in specific
IT/ Data base infrastructure development
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Top Down Approach◦ Following the role model established by developed
countries◦ Creating a strong and effective central consumer
organization.◦ Delegating all consumer organizations activities to
central organization.◦ In coordination with donor agencies, provide Central
organization with:- Technical assistance - Financial assistance.
Required for the formulation, launching and execution of its work plans
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Bottom Up Approach:• Establishing effective network relationships
between central organization and local civil organizations all over Egypt
• Development and Empowerment of supporting local organizations
• Through a one year plan, providing local organizations with monthly financial allowances, for the execution of their basic activities.
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Bottom Up Approach (cont’d):• To ensure proper guidance and execution, work
plans and activities will be pre-determined by CPA in coordination with involved organizations, through abiding Service Level Agreements
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IT/ Machinery and solutions Information data base
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Membership base expansion Market researches and studies Publishing of annual reports (company
ratings) Publishing of periodicals Providing special services, such as legal
services
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