ASEAN launches a Guideline on Online Dispute Resolution for consumers

JAKARTA, 8 April 2022 – The ASEAN Committee on Consumer Protection (ACCP) launched the ASEAN Guidelines on Online Dispute Resolution (ODR), a follow-on initiative of the ASEAN ODR Feasibility Study published in December 2020.

The Guideline aims to assist ASEAN Member States (AMS) in setting-up or improve their national ODR systems to help resolve e-Commerce transactions, as well as suggest proper design and management of an ODR System.  It includes topics such as the design criteria of a national ODR system; IT requirements to ensure interoperability; data security and privacy; legal and procedural requirements; and regional and international cooperation. 

Currently only Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand are the AMS that have a national ODR system in place.

The establishment of a unified AMS system sharing the same considerations and consensus as listed in the guidelines will allow the national ODR systems to be interlinked and form the ASEAN ODR Network. Policies and procedures must be put into place, first at the national and later at the regional level, to facilitate the efficient and effective settlement of disputes across jurisdictions and without large costs to consumers or businesses.

This aligns with Principle 4 of the ASEAN High-Level Principles on Consumer Protection which states that “consumers have access to appropriate and convenient sources of advice and redress including Alternative Dispute Resolution“. It is further closely linked to Principle 8 of the AHLP which requires that “consumers in e-Commerce are protected.” 

The completion and launching of the ASEAN Guideline on ODR are listed as one of the deliverables of the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan on Consumer Protection 2025. 

Click here to download the Guidelines.