5929e5d7d2188210VgnVCM200000e66411acRCRDapproved/thenational/Articles/Migration/2009-Q2Setting the standard for a fair deal4929e5d7d2188210VgnVCM200000e66411ac____In today's global marketplace governments must assume a proactive role in establishing certain protections for consumers against products that are dangerous or falsely advertised.<p>Chiselled into the first known set of written laws, the Code of Hammurabi, there was a provision intended to benefit the consumers in ancient Mesopotamia: "Let the buyer beware." Five millennia later, without a viable authority to test products or establish standards for safety and fair dealing, consumers are still armed with only Hammurabi's advice. In today's global marketplace where consumers are subject to dangers of global origin, governments can and must assume a proactive role in establishing certain protections for consumers against products that are dangerous or falsely advertised.</p> <p>In the past week, for goods and services ranging from toys to education, the Government has demonstrated its seriousness about establishing and enforcing certain standards in the interest of protecting the health of consumers and the health of the nation's marketplace. As we report today, a new regulatory regime is to be introduced beginning next year that will standardise oversight for product safety under a single federal body, the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA). The ESMA will in turn co-operate with similar authorities in other GCC nations to introduce a comprehensive set of standards for the region. Just as products that are approved for sale within the European Union are approved under a single authority, a similar standard and stamp for verification will be introduced in GCC nations. With all the consumers of the GCC insisting on a certain set of safety standards for imports, it will be in the best economic interests of producers, whether they be in America or, more likely, in China, to adhere to them.</p> <p>But the push towards consumer protection cannot be limited to efforts to ensure product safety. As we reported yesterday, new courts for consumer arbitration will be introduced to help to streamline the process by which consumer complaints are referred. In the past, those with concerns about damaged goods, false warranties or poor customer service have had to appeal through the traditional court process. Frequently this approach, in which consumers were required to employ a lawyer, became too costly in both time and money to pursue. The Ministry of Economy's announcement last month that it was establishing specific tribunals for consumer protection charged with upholding basic supplier obligations and consumer rights should help to protect consumers and provide a deterrent for retailers from engaging in unscrupulous practices.</p> <p>A market is not really free unless consumers have sufficient information about what they are buying. Efforts intended to benefit the consumer should be directed with this in mind. Ultimately, there are limits to what governments can do to protect people, but governments can serve a powerful role in making sure that consumers have the necessary data to make informed choices. Dubai's recent effort to grade schools, and the capital's announcement that it too would evaluate schools and make public the findings, both represent important efforts towards this end.</p> <p>In an economic downturn, retailers have more than just a legal obligation as an incentive to treat consumers better. A dirham is harder to make in such an environment and shoppers will perhaps be more discriminating than they have been in the past. But the UAE's efforts in providing a sound legal framework for consumer rights should ensure that fair dealing will remain regardless of the economic climate.</p> 84YYOPINION2009052400000020090524000000100ARhttp://adedit.ad.atl.publicus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090524/OPINION/705239845570523984520090524100000000