The INDECOPI-COMPAL School is the joint proposal of the National Institute for the Defense of Competition and the Protection of Intellectual Property (INDECOPI) of Peru and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to establish a partnership between their respective National School of INDECOPI and COMPAL Program and thus create the INDECOPI-COMPAL School based in Lima, Peru for an initial period of three years (2015-2017).
The INDECOPI-COMPAL School is part of the efforts of the COMPAL Program to strengthen the capacities of its seventeen member countries in the Latin American region in the areas of competition defense and consumer protection. All of this with the aim of strengthening institutions and contributing to sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction through improving market functioning.
The INDECOPI-COMPAL School aims to provide high-level theoretical and practical training to officials from competition defense and consumer protection agencies of COMPAL Program member countries. Depending on the needs, courses may also be organized in the future for other audiences such as officials from other agencies or branches of government, consumer or employer associations, or academics, always with a strong regional focus. The principles that the INDECOPI-COMPAL School adheres to are:
- Partnership with COMPAL Program member countries: all member countries have a prominent role in all project states. They participate both in the strategic direction of the school and in the decision-making on the topics taught. They also have the responsibility of selecting participants and evaluating the performance of the School.
- High-level training, both theoretical and practical, is provided by the best Latin American and international professors in the chosen subject for the annual course. The education will be thematic but maintain a holistic vision, with experts in law, economics, and other fields. Special emphasis is placed on ensuring that the training addresses the common issues faced by the member countries of the COMPAL Program, in order to have a significant impact in each country and harmonize knowledge across different countries.
- Multiplier effect: all activities of the COMPAL Program are aimed at generating the widest possible beneficial impact. With this project, in addition to improving the capacities of officials: personal ties between agencies are strengthened; best practices in the region are identified and inspire other projects; interest in the subject is awakened among other officials; it is replicated within the agency and in front of other audiences; and collaboration with other organizations or competent institutions in the field is promoted. Participants receive training to replicate the training received for officials from their respective agencies. Finally, the formation of alumni networks is encouraged to maintain informal ties between participants.
- Results attainment: the first result (output) is the successful participation in the course by the officials, and the ultimate result (outcome) is the strengthening of the capacities of the competition defense and consumer protection agencies. To ensure that both are executed successfully, there are evaluation and monitoring processes for both the courses by the participants and the School itself by the agencies.
