. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/BLZ/1 
23 September 2010  
 (10-4835) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  BELIZE
  
If applicable, name of local governme nt involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):  
2. Agency responsible:  Belize Bureau of Standards 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above : 
Belize Bureau of Standards 
Ministry of Works Compound 
Power Lane Belmopan City, Cayo District Belize, C.A. P.O. Box:  430 
Telephone:  501-822-0446/0447 
Fax:  501-822-2571 Email:  tbtenquiry-belize@bbs.gov.bz
 
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [   ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other [X]:  as Consumer 
Protection Draft Law with provisions of tec hnical relevance (product liability, consumer 
safety, product recall etc.), based on the CARICOM Model Draft Law on Consumer Protection.  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Consumer goods and 
services (no specific products)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Belize Draft Consumer 
Protection Act (120 pages, in English)  
6. Description of content:  Comprehensive Draft Consumer Protection Act (based on a 
CARICOM Model Law)  
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Belize has never had one comprehensive Consumer  Protection Law, instead, a "patchwork" of 
several laws.  With this new law a contribu tion to harmonisation within CARICOM will be 
provided.  With this law Belize forges ahead in a regional harmonization effort in the context 
of CARICOM.  This law once enacted should provide for the protection of consumers and 
consumer interests for the next 15–20 years.  Th e law will also provide for a mediation body 
for consumer protection cases (Consumer Af fairs Commission), warranty provisions for 
purchases by consumers, provisions for product lia bility and consumer safety as well as for 
product recalls. G/TBT/N/BLZ/1 
Page 2  
 
  The law has been broadly discussed with approx imately thirty stakeholder groups, inclusive 
of the wider Belizean public particularly though the major media houses.  The public is 
invited to comment on the proposed Act until 15 November 2010. The impact on international trad e might be mainly in the possibility of mediation in case of 
consumer complaints, also regarding im ported goods, for example wrongly labelled 
packaging and the civil law consequences ther eof, or by product liability, consumer safety 
measures, product recalls, etc. 
8. Relevant documents:   Draft Law on Consumer Protection 
9. Proposed date of adoption: 
Proposed date of entry into force   2012 
1 January 2013 
10. Final date for comments:  15 November 2010 
11. Text available from: National enquiry point [X], or address, telephone and fax numbers, 
e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:  
Belize Bureau of Standards 
Ministry of Works Compound Power Lane Belmopan City, Cayo District 
Belize, C.A. 
P.O. Box:  430 Telephone:  501-822-0446/0447 Fax:  501-822-2571 Email:  tbtenquiry-belize@bbs.gov.bz