1. Conference of international Network of Civil Society Organisations on Competition (INCSOC) Geneva, 29 January The Role of Civil Society Organisations in Promoting a Healthy Competition Culture and Relevance of INCSOC By Philippe Bruisick Chief, Competition and Consumer Policies Branch, UNCTAD

2. Competition Policy is new in most Developing Countries
From:
-Administered prices
-State Planning
-State Monopolies
-Forex Controls
-Trade Barriers
-FDI Controls
To:
-Price Liberalisation
-Deregulation
-Privatisation
-Floating Currencies
-Trade Liberalisation
-FDI Liberalisation

3. Market Oriented Reforms need the right accompanying Reforms
Failure of “shock treatment”
Failure of “laissez-faire”
Need for Competition Policy
Competition Law and Competition Authority
Need for Sectoral Regulators

4. Competition Advocacy Programmes
Step by step approach for introducing competition law
Educational and promotional efforts:
-educating judges
-creating a specailised press
-policy of transparency in decision making of the Competition Authority
Creating a pro-competition culture through promotional ads, TV serials, seminars, diffusion: usually very costly exercise

5. The Role of the Civil Society
Looking for the “natural allies” of a healthy Competition Policy:
-Consumer associations
Competition and transparency as a means of good corporate governance:
-SMEs, Business associations
Competition policy as a means of ENSURING growth and employment:
-Workers’ associations, Trade Unions

6. Concluding Remarks
Today even more than ever, there is a need for cooperation with the Civil society to promote the following objectives of UNCTAD:
To contribute to a more efficient, but also a more equitable world economy through a competition-rules-based globalisation process at national, regional and multilateral levels;

7. To boost competitiveness, and hence accelerate the development of developing countries, in particular LDCs, and economies in transition by promoting a healthy competition culture; and
To defend consumer interests by ensuring that applying competition rules results in lower prices of goods and services, better quality and choice and accelerated process of innovation.

8. Thank you