DECIDES

Article 1. To issue together with this Decision the Plan to implement consumer protection activities in Lam Dong Province for the 2018-2020 period.

Article 2. This Decision takes effect from the date of signing.

Article 3. Head of the Office of the People's Committee of the Province; Heads of departments, agencies, and units; Chairmen of the People's Committees of districts, Bao Loc and Da Lat Cities; Heads of related agencies and units, and individuals are responsible to implement this Decision./.

PLAN

To implement the Program on developing consumer protection activities in Lam Dong Province in the 2018 – 2020 period

(Issued with Decision no. 1016/QD-UBND dated May 31^st, 2018 by the People’s Committee of Lam Dong Province)

          To implement the Prime Minister's Decision no. 1997/QD-TTg dated October 18^th, 2016 approving the Program on developing consumer protection activities for the 2016-2020 period; Document no. 2006/BCT-CT dated April 3^rd, 2018 by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on the implementation of Decision no. 1997/QD-TTg, the People's Committee of Lam Dong Province issues the Plan to implement consumer protection activities in Lam Dong Province in the 2018-2020 period with the following contents:

I. PURPOSES AND REQUIREMENTS

1. Purposes

- To assert the role, position, and importance of consumer protection with the stable and sustainable development of the society.

- To propagate, educate, and disseminate laws and policies on consumer protection; to create a basis for mobilizing and concentrating the attention, response, and participation of the whole society in the work of consumer protection.

- To contribute to building a healthy consumer environment for consumers and organizations and individuals trading goods and services; to stabilize and create the driving force for development, innovation, and creation for the economy.

- To enhance the sense of responsibility, encouraging the cooperation and coordination among state management agencies, social organizations participating in consumer protection, organizations, individuals, and the consumers' awareness in the work of consumer protection.

2. Requirements

Striving for 2020, the Program’s specific objectives which must be achieved are:

- To ensure that 100% of cadres and public servants of State management agencies involved in the work of consumer protection and social organizations in the province participates in protecting of consumers' rights; 80% of individual organizations trading in goods and services in Lam Dong Province are propagandized and their awareness in consumer protection is enhanced.

- To ensure that at least 60% of students are taught and trained on legal contents of consumer protection and consumer knowledge and skills.

- To build a hotline to support consumers when needed and connect with the Ministry of Industry and Trade's switchboard to create a unified National Switchboard System.

- To set up a system of conciliation for consumer protection at the provincial level.

- To formulate regulations on coordination among agencies having the functions, tasks, and powers in inspecting and evaluating the quality of consumer goods and services.

- To develop and implement the Enterprise for Consumers Program.

- To ensure that 100% of complaints and requests of consumers is received and supported by the State management agencies and social organizations participating in protecting cosumers and organizations and individuals trading in goods and services, in which the successful complaint settlement rate reaches over 70% of cases received.

II. IMPLEMENTATION TIME

- Consumer protection activities are encouraged to be organized and implemented regularly from 2018 to 2020.

- Activities to respond to Viet Nam's Consumer Rights Day on March 15^th every year.

III. CONSUMER PROTECTION ACTIVITIES FOR THE 2018-2020 PERIOD

1. Organizing Viet Nam's Consumer Rights Day

- Annually, pursuant to the Prime Minister's Decision no. 1035/QD-TTg dated July 10^th, 2015 on Viet Nam's Consumer Rights Day, departments, agencies, units, localities, social organizations participating in consumer protection, business communities, and concerned organizations and individuals build plans to organize activities to respond to Viet Nam's Consumer Rights Day on themes launched by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

- To organize meetings, marches, parades, hanging banners, flags, and slogans on main roads and at markets, shopping centers, and supermarkets.

- To encourage and support enterprises to carry out trade promotion activities and public events in order to strengthen consumer rights and boost business performance of enterprises.

- To commend and reward organizations and individuals that have outstanding achievements in consumer protection.

2. Propagating and disseminating policies and laws on consumer protection

- To organize the propaganda and dissemination of policies and laws on consumer protection through conferences, seminars, meetings, etc. To communicate on the radio, television, newspapers, the province's and branches' websites, and local news; to build news reports and leaflets; to hang banners, flags, and slogans.

- To enhance the awareness of abiding by the laws on consumer protection of market participants so that they are aware of their obligations towards consumers and of the legal consequences incurred for violations.

- To actively assist businesses in warning of violations of fake goods, poor quality goods, and false advertisement.

3. Training and developing human resources on consumer protection

Agencies, organizations and enterprises send their officials working concurrently at the State management agencies and personnel engaged in consumer protection at organizations and enterprises to participate in short-term training courses organized by local and central agencies to raise the quality of their consumer protection work.

4. Connecting the Switchboard system to consult and support consumers in the province

To build a Switchboard system to consult and support consumers at the Department of Industry and Trade and the Consumer Protection Association to connect with the Switchboard of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to create a unified National Switchboard System.

5. Setting up a system of conciliation for consumer protection

To set up the conciliation organization for consumer protection at the Consumer Protection Association according to the provisions of the Law on Consumer Protection. At the same time, to strengthen the organizational model in order to raise the efficiency of the conciliation work of units currently engaged in legal consultancy activities and conciliation of disputes between consumers and organizations and individuals engaged in trading goods and services. To assist localities wishing to set up their local Consumer Protection Association.

6. Enhancing the inspection and assessment of consumer goods’ and services’ quality

- To elaborate regulations on coordination among agencies and organizations with functions, tasks, and powers to inspect and evaluate the quality of consumer goods and services, especially in the fields of food safety, medical, standards, measurement, quality, and consumer products and services.

- To ensure the tools, means, and equipment to inspect and assess the quality of goods and services for the State management agencies in charge of consumer protection.

- To closely monitor market developments, goods supply and demand, especially essential goods in managed areas, so as to actively plan and timely propose measures in order to stabilize the market when necessary, meeting the demand of consumers. To strengthen information and guidance, and equip knowledge to improve consumer self-protection.

- To support social organizations to participate in consumer protection, to independently survey and test the quality of goods and services so as to alert consumers.

7. Implementing the Enterprise for Consumers Program

- To implement the Enterprise for Consumers Program, enterprises enhance their responsibility to consumers through activities such as introducing policies and regulations on consumer protection into their business policies and strategies of the the enterprises.

- To develop and issue documents, publications, and leaflets guiding the implementation of the contents of the Program on consumer protection according to enterprises' policies; to carry out education and training activities for the management, employees, and customers of enterprises related to the enforcement of the law on consumer protection.

8. International cooperation on consumer protection

- To participate in international cooperation activities on consumer protection in the region and the world.

- To coordinate to organize programs and activities of international cooperation to share and learn experiences.

IV. IMPLEMENTATION FUNDING

1. Funding source

Funds for the implementation of the Program include the following sources: State budget; contributions of business organizations and individuals; donations from organizations and individuals; other legal mobilized funds as prescribed by the law.

2. Principles for managing funds

- For the state budget, it will be implemented according to the current state budget decentralization;

- The management and use of funds comply with the regime and regulations.

V. IMPLEMENTATION ORGANIZATION

1. Department of Industry and Trade

As the lead agency, coordinate with departments, committees, units, and the people's committees of districts, and Da Lat and Bao Loc Cities to manage, guide, inspect, and supervise the performance of the Plan to implement consumer protection activities for the 2018-2020 period of the province, specifically:

- To organize and develop a detailed plan and coordinate with relevant agencies in organizing Viet Nam Consumer Rights Day. To plan and organize Viet Nam Consumer Rights Day (March 15^th every year).

- To propagate and disseminate policies and law on consumer protection; to train and develop human resources to protect consumers' rights; to strengthen the inspection and assessment of the quality of consumer goods and services;

- To build and connect the Switchboard system for consumer consultation and support in the province,

- To establish a conciliation organization for consumer protection.

- To participate in international cooperation activities on consumer protection in the region and the world; to coordinate the organization of programs and activities of international cooperation to share and learn experiences.

- To implement the Enterprise for Consumers Program; to develop training plans on professional training for business entities related to enforcing law on consumer protection.

- Based on the contents of the approved plans, to elaborate detailed scenarios and cost estimates for each activity and organize the implementation thereof. To summarize and report the implementation results of the Plan to implement consumer protection activities for the 2018-2020 period of the province periodically or unexpectedly as required.

2. Department of Information and Communication

Department of Information and Communication in coordination with local mass media to strengthen propaganda about the Plan to implement consumer protection activities of the province in the 2018 - 2020 period; about consumer protection policies and laws; programs on training and developing human resources on consumer protection; inspection and evaluation of the quality of consumer goods and services of functional agencies; Enterprise for Consumers Program on the basis of content provided by the Department of Industry and Trade.

3. Department of Finance

- To advise the People's Committee of Lam Dong Province to allocate funds to implement the plan.

- Funding for the implementation of Viet Nam Consumer Rights Day in the districts, Da Lat and Bao Loc Cities is balanced from the local budget.

4. Department of Home Affairs

- Annually, to prepare plans and organize professional training courses for cadres and civil servants working in charge of consumer protection.

- To coordinate with the Department of Industry and Trade in guiding, inspecting, and supervising the implementation of programs under the Plan to implement consumer protection activities in the 2018-2020 period of the province.

5. Department of Science and Technology

- To host and coordinate with the Department of Industry and Trade in consumer protection activities related to intellectual property, standards, measurement, and quality, and to formulate mechanisms on coordination and support for individuals and organizations involved in the inspection, assessment, and publication of the quality on consumer goods and services.

- To coordinate with the Department of Industry and Trade in guiding, inspecting, and supervising the implementation of programs under the Plan to implement consumer protection activities in the 2018-2020 period of the province.

6. Department of Education and Training and Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs

- To host and coordinate with the Department of Industry and Trade in building study programs and educating about consumer protection for students and pupils at grade schools, vocational schools, and colleges in the province.

- To coordinate with the Department of Industry and Trade in guiding, inspecting, and supervising the implementation of programs under the Plan to implement consumer protection activities in the 2018-2020 period of the province.

7. Department of Health

- To host and coordinate with concerned branches in undertaking consumer protection activities in the medical field, especially matters related to food safety, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and healthcare and medical services.

- To coordinate with the Department of Industry and Trade in guiding, inspecting, and supervising the implementation of programs under the Plan to implement consumer protection activities in the 2018-2020 period of the province.

8. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

To host and coordinate with the Department of Industry and Trade in implementing consumer protection activities in the fields of agriculture, forestry, fishery, and irrigation. In particular, to focus on quality assurance and input food safety in production and trading of food products and services.

9. Departments, committees, and branches

Within the units' scope of tasks and jurisdiction, to coordinate with the Department of Industry and Trade in guiding, inspecting, and supervising the implementation of programs under the Plan to implement consumer protection activities in the 2018-2020 period of the province.

10. People's Committees of districts and Bao Loc and Da Lat Cities

- To develop contents, allocate funds and organize the implementation of the contents of the Plan to implement consumer protection activities in the 2018-2020 period of the province, in which, integrating with the contents of local operation in order to achieve thrift and efficiency.

- In January every year, to implement the plan to organize Viet Nam Consumer Rights Day to relevant agencies, organizations, and individuals;

- In March every year, to organize Viet Nam Consumer Rights Day on March 15^th.

- To support and facilitate enterprises in the locality to participate in consumer protection.

- To report periodically or unexpectedly upon the request of the province on the implementation of the Plan to implement consumer protection activities in the 2018-2020 period.

11. Lam Dong Newspaper and Lam Dong Radio and Television Station

To coordinate with related departments, agencies, branches, and units to strengthen the propaganda and promotion of consumer protection activities in the province.

12. Social organizations participating in consumer protection

- To coordinate with state management agencies on consumer protection in disseminating, guiding, inspecting, and supervising the implementation of the Plan to implement consumer protection activities in the 2018-2020 period.

- To request departments, committees, branches; People's Committees of districts, Bao Loc and Da Lat Cities; related social organizations, agencies, and units, to actively cooperate closely to implement the Plan to implement consumer protection activities in Lam Dong Province for the 2018-2020 period./.