2014-12-05 The Inter-American Rapid Alerts System (SIAR for its Spanish acronym) is the first hemispheric integrated system for the generation, management and rapid and secure exchange of information on consumer safety alerts, based on agreed criteria on principles, general concepts and relevant terminology for regional alerts.
The SIAR is supported by an advanced IT platform with information and support resources for consumer product safety surveillance, with public, restricted and secured access modules, for governmental agencies and the general public. At the end of 2021, the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce (SIC) of Colombia took over the management of the SIAR platform.
The SIAR has two fundamental characteristics:
- It is an integrated system for the creation, management and rapid exchange of alerts, which involves active and permanent interaction among the national competent agencies of the OAS member states with public, private and secure components.
- It constitutes a framework of action from which the countries of the Americas can identify consumer product safety alerts issued based on agreed criteria, and take the necessary measures to prevent or stop a product from being sold, in conformity with the country's domestic procedures.
The secure exchange of information allows the countries in the Americas to adopt more effective and proactive measures in order to prevent hazardous products from entering their markets. It is also the framework of action to work with suppliers to promote a culture of consumer product safety that encourages self-regulatory practices, prevention, and risk assessment of products to ensure consumer safety.