Taken as group, ASEAN would already be the seventh-largest economy in the world with a combined GDP of $2.4 trillion in 2013, and with a growing population of more than 600 million people, it is a hub of growing consumer demand. While not all ASEAN Member States (AMS) have effective consumer protection legislations and programs in place, ensuring consumer protection in terms of law is of little value unless these are properly enforced. Consumer policy strategy must constantly adapt to the global environment in which consumers live. Fast-evolving technologies are changing citizen’s lives, the way people communicate and their relationship with products.
“Development of Public Awareness Models for Consumer Protection,” is an on-going project of AADCP II intended to support the development of more comprehensive consumer awareness and education programs within ASEAN Member States. The 2nd consultative workshop held at the ASEAN Secretariat on April 8-9, 2015 discussed consumer awareness and education models that AMS can follow and guidelines for selecting the appropriate models.