CONFERENCE – In February 2009, IACL will hold its consumer law conference in India and discuss Globalisation, Poverty, Development including Rights and Responsibilities of financial service providers. Hosted by NALSAR, the conference held from 25-27 Feb 2009 in Hyderabad, is especially designed for consumer law experts and has an eminent panel of speakers planned. We hope to gather stakeholders from the world over and continue to discuss our Principles of Responsible Credit! ----- 12TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CONSUMER LAW HYDERABAD 25-27 FEBRUARY 2009 The 12th International Conference on Consumer Law, organised under the auspices of the International Association of Consumer Law (www.iaclaw.org) will be organised by the NALSAR University of Law (www.nalsarlawuniv.ac.in) in Hyderabad, India on February 25-27, 2009.The theme of the conference is ’Consumer Law - Globalisation, Poverty and Development’ and consumer law scholars from all parts of the world – both members of the IACL and others – are invited to participate. “CONSUMER LAW - GLOBALISATION, POVERTY AND DEVELOPMENT” Consumer law has traditionally been an internationalized area of law. Many consumer problems are similar all over the world and solutions are sought for across the borders. The process of globalization have put new deregulatory pressures on consumer law, in the wake of the liberalization of the global economy, but it has also brought in new demands for regulation on the consumer law agenda. The conference will focus on such connections between consumer law and globalisation, from the particular perspective of our growing need to address poverty and development issues in the context of consumer law. What role can and should consumer law play in relieving problems connected with poverty and in promoting development in the context of the global economy? The general theme of the conference includes numerous sub-themes. In the following some such themes are mentioned. The description is not exhaustive, and other perspectives to the issue at hand are welcome. The structure and programme of the conference is yet to be finalised. CREATING A LEGAL INFRASTRUCTURE TO PROTECT CONSUMERS IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY The impact of the changing market scenario and the economies of the developing countries on consumer laws are a constituent part of this theme. State ideologies such as welfarism/ capitalism, development studies and their impact on consumer regulation may be explored, as well as the role of U.N., its constituent bodies and international voluntary organizations, and the General Agreement on Trade and Services (GATS) for the development of consumer legislation. Economical and comparative analysis of consumer laws as well as analysis of various models of consumer protection may illuminate the role of consumer law for societal development. The interface between intellectual property law issues such as trade mark law and consumer law may also be considered. Finally, an important aspect of the theme is the interface between competition policy and law and consumer law, in particular in the various contexts of developed and developing economies. GREEN AND ETHICAL CONSUMERISM IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY Ethical aspects related to consumerism and their promotion through consumer law are of growing importance in the privatised global economy. Issues concerning genetically modified food products, eco-labelling, green wash, standardisation, corporate environment liability in the context of consumer welfare are related to this theme. Environment taxes and their impact on consumers may also be investigated. Particular ethical issues relating for example to the sale of human organs can also be discussed in this context. VULNERABLE CONSUMERS AND POVERTY AS AN ISSUE OF CONSUMER LAW A central issue in the consumer law discourse is the question to what extent consumer law should focus on the particular needs of vulnerable consumers, as opposed to those of the ‘average’ consumers. In the context of globalisation, poverty and development, the question in what way poverty should be regarded a problem of consumer law cannot be surpassed. In what way can consumer law assist poor consumers and improve their situation? Issues related to bankruptcy, debt relief and over-indebtedness should be mentioned in this context as well. RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF SERVICE PROVIDERS, INCLUDING FINANCIAL SERVICES Issues concerning liability of service providers in health care, insurance, telecom, banking and other comparable services are of central importance with regard to poverty and development. Issues such as governments as service providers, legal services, software services, online transactions, telemarketing, internet marketing and e-commerce can be mentioned as well. Decreasing professional standards, aggressive marketing etc. can also be considered for study under this heading. Of particular interest are issues related to financial services, such as the regulation of reckless/responsible lending. ADJUDICATING BODIES AND CONSUMER REDRESS IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY The role and the functioning of forums for consumer redress in a global economy are of crucial importance with regard to consumer protection in action. Other methods of grievance redress such as ombudsmen, consumer protection organizations/bodies, class actions, departmental inquiry may also be taken up for study in this context. Cross border jurisdiction issues, related to the increasing global nature of transactions, are topical. FURTHER INFORMATION The organising committee in Hyderabad is chaired by Professor Ghansyam Singh. Practical information concerning the conference can be obtained from Dr. Vidyullatha Reddy (vidyullathareddy@gmail.com) or from the conference page accessible from NALSAR's front page (under upcoming events) at: http://www.nalsarlawuniv.ac.in. The registration fee, that includes the conference material, lunches during the conference and a dinner, is 250 USD for participants from abroad and 5000 Indian rupees for participants from India. ID: 42129 Author(s): ECRC Publication date: 29/11/08     URL(s): International Association of Consumer Law NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad Link to ECRC's Stakeholder Conferences 2008-2009 webpage Link to "London Declaration" webpage

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