The Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat is set to commence the promotion of a rapid consumer protection alert system throughout its member states.
A release from the Secretariat stated that the Caricom Rapid Alert System on the Exchange of Information on Dangerous (non-food) Consumer Goods is “a major initiative” aimed at protecting consumer via quick and efficient information sharing on harmful products on the market.
The release said that a team from the Caricom Secretariat last month kicked off a regional promotion of the system, which will include visits to Saint Lucia and Dominica early this month.
The release added that stakeholder sessions were held in St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada, with support under the 10th European Develop-ment Fund.
The Secretariat said it is seeking to implement the system in member states and sensitise stakeholders on its operations and benefits to consumer protection.
“[It] is designed as a web-based portal for information sharing among national consumer protection agencies and other related bodies. National contact points from respective members states are expected to use the system and interface with their counterparts as they send and receive alerts regarding unsafe items that may be in the market,” the Secretariat release stated.
In addition, it announced that the Secretariat team is conducting training on how to use the system and enter information that is vital to consumers and other stakeholders.
Moreover, the release mentioned that national consumer protection officials and other representatives of related bodies from both St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada, received training in mid-July and it is expected that the islands will be implementing the system shortly.
The release said that the Caricom team is made up of Deputy Programme Manager (CSME) Phillip McClauren; Integrated Information Systems, Senior Project Manager Derrick Agdomar; and Consumer Health and Safety Officer Hilda Kelshall.
