China and Australia ask APEC to support ad standards capacity building programme

Developed under the leadership of the Australian Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB), the proposed APEC Advertising Regulatory Capacity Building Mentoring programme is now being considered for approval and funding.

The capacity building programme will consist of:

1. Establishment of a contact network of experts in advertising standards and regulation as a resource for APEC economies.

2. A technical workshop for APEC economies to build capacity for the effective establishment and/or improved operation of a self-regulatory organisation consistent with international best practice.

3. Mentoring of advertising regulators in APEC economies to provide practical assistance (through long distance support) to enable identified Member Economies struggling with or starting up advertising standards to implement actions identified at the technical workshop.

4. Technical workshop for APEC economies for mentoring on implementation combined with a conference to examine ways to expand international and regional cooperation in emerging APEC region issues around advertising (obesity, alcohol, smoking, environmental claims, depictions of women).

“ICC is enthusiastic about this APEC initiative and will contribute business expertise to these capacity building initiatives,” said Brent Sanders, Assistant General Counsel of Microsoft and Chair of the ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising. “We are strongly supportive of APEC establishing globally consistent advertising standards that reduce barriers to trade while enhancing consumer trust through a cost-effective and responsive self-regulatory mechanism.”

The APEC proposal advocates the use of the Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice (ICC Code) as the foundation principles for locally applied self-regulation and the implementation of those principles through the global best practice recommendations made by self-regulatory organizations.

The ICC Code, developed by the ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising, is the gold standard for most nationally-applied self-regulation around the world. It offers a globally consistent baseline for economies developing advertising principles while also providing flexibility for local laws and culture to be reflected in a local code.

The proposal was jointly submitted to APEC by ASB and the China Association of National Advertisers. The governments of Canada, Chile, New Zealand and the US expressed non-funding support for it in the CTI. ICC, together with its members and partners will continue to encourage APEC to approve the project and benefit from the investment already made by economies and stakeholders in this effort.

For more information visit ICC Commission Marketing and Advertising