2011/05/18
1 Introduction
Thank you very much for the introduction. As introduced by Vladimir, Japan was recently hit by a huge earthquake and tsunami. On behalf of the Japan Fair Trade Commission, I would like to take this opportunity to express mysincere gratitude for the warm messages and kind support we received from the ICN community.
2 Activities of the AIN/ AISUP
In this session, as the Vice Chair for Advocacy and Implementation, I will report on the activities of the Advocacy and Implementation Network (AIN) and the Advocacy and Implementation Network Support Program (AISUP). I would like to thank the Advocacy Working Group for providing me an opportunity at this plenary session to raise awareness regarding our activities.
(1) Implementation of the AISUP
First of all, I would like to describe developments at the Advocacy and Implementation Network Support Program, or AISUP. The ICN has created work products on a variety of topics from anticartel enforcement to competition advocacy. To promote theimplementation of such a wide variety of ICN work products, in 2007,a group of volunteer ICN member agencies was convened in the Advocacy and Implementation Network (AIN) to support Vice Chairfor Advocacy and Implementation. Then, the AISUP was establishedin 2008 to encourage the ICN member agencies to make better use of ICN work products. Through the AISUP, ICN members can seek advice about specific ICN work products and receive assistance on how ICN recommendations and other guidance documents might be implemented within their jurisdictions. In 2010-11, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Zambia received support through the AISUP. The main supporting agencies were the German Bundeskartellamt, JFTC, and Russian FAS, but the staff of other agencies also contributed to the programs by giving lectures on ICN work products and providing advice regarding the assistance from the main supporting agencies.
(2) ICN Work Products Catalogue
Second, to promote the use of ICN work products, it isimportant to identify work products relevant to the needs of agencies requesting support through the AISUP. We created a concise and comprehensive catalogue of ICN work products last September and it is available on the ICN website.
(3) Response to the Second Decade
Last, but not least in importance by any means, AIN members discussed the AIN's response to the Second Decade Project. To provide more "Guidance on putting written work products intopractice," AIN members discussed the following points:
(1) Should more emphasis be put on implementation work?
(2) Are there more ways to enhance coordination with Working Groups?
(3) Do we need to do more to raise awareness of the AISUP?
(4) What other instruments can be adopted to promote implementation?
Based on the discussion, we have started some new initiatives. First, some AIN members suggested that implementation of ICN work products can be facilitated through disseminating relevant work products in the form of paperbacks or CDs at ICN Annual Conferences and Workshops. For this Annual Conference, the JFTC has prepared USB memory sticks of the work products listed in the ICN Work Products Catalogue and will distribute them at the optional AISUP breakout session tomorrow morning.
To raise awareness of the AIN and AISUP, two actions have been taken. One is the use of the ICN blog to reach out to ICN members. In fact, an article regarding the Work Products Catalogueand the AIN was posted there last December.
Another is the AIN/AISUP optional breakout session from 8:00 to 8:45 tomorrow morning, Thursday, May 19 (in room Asia). The title of the session is "Implementation of ICN Work Products: How can we do?" Panelists from Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Zambia, all of whom are from agencies currently receiving support through the AISUP, will explain how they have benefited from the AISUP in understanding and implementing ICN work products. Then, 5 panelists, resource persons from AIN member agencies, and the floor will discuss how the AIN/AISUP could improve even more. Please come to join the session and hear various countries' experiences with the AISUP and discuss how to promote the implementation of ICN work products through more effective use of the AISUP. Those who are interested in receiving support from the AISUP or in learning about ICN work products are particularly welcome. As I already mentioned, we will distribute USB memory sticks of the ICN work products at the session.
3 Conclusion
In its first decade, the ICN has produced a tremendous number of work products that are beneficial for the enforcement and planning of competition law and policy in member jurisdictions. The ICN isindeed a treasure trove.
However, if a treasure is unused, it loses its value. The AIN and AISUP can help you to find a treasure in the mine, that is, we can help agencies who seek support to identify useful work products. In turn, you can add value to the work products by implementing them. Your feedback will lead to further improvement of the work products. Through the creation of a virtuous cycle of production, implementation, evaluation, and improvement of ICN work products, competition principles will further be advocated and enhanced ingovernment, business, and the economy. I think this is the key to thesuccess of the ICN in the second decade. And to contribute to thatprocess, we would like to invite you to the optional breakout session to discuss together how the AIN/AISUP could be improved.
Thank you very much for your kind attention.
