World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) is a fantastic annual celebration that unites consumers around the world. Now is the time for the UN to recognise this day formally and in doing so deliver even more to raise awareness of consumer rights.
For the last 33 years, consumer organisations around the
world have joined together on March 15 to mark World Consumer Rights Day; a day
that plays a vital role in raising awareness of consumer rights around the
globe. The event is regularly marked in more than 90 countries around the world
and a wide mix of consumers, consumer organisations, government consumer
agencies and international organisations take part.
Formally recognising World Consumer Rights Day as an
International Day as already exists for women, the environment, health, children,
amongst many others, could help this important annual moment play an
even more powerful role in raising awareness of consumer rights and
highlighting inadequate consumer protection.
Given the historic adoption of the revised UN Guidelines for
Consumer Protection that was achieved at the end of 2015, which recognised
important new protections for consumers, there
is now an urgent need to raise awareness of these protections for consumers
around the globe. UN recognition of
World Consumer Rights Day can play a crucial part in this. At a time when
Consumers International has unprecedented engagement from Consumer Protection Agencies
around the world, we have an excellent opportunity to campaign for UN
recognition for the most important day in the global consumer rights calendar.
World Consumer Rights
Day
It is a truly international event. Previous themes for the
day have included campaigns on basic
rights, safe food, GMOs, trade, public utilities, healthy diets, financial
services, phone rights, energy. The day is used to raise awareness of existing
rights and shine a light on areas where there is inadequate consumer protection
in place. Celebrated by the majority of countries around the world activities
marking the day have included media stunts, public meetings, marches, social
media campaigns and the publication of test results, surveys and opinion
pieces.
The date itself was chosen to commemorate a Special Message
to the US Congress made by President John F Kennedy in 1962 in which he
formally addressed the issue of consumer rights. He was the first world leader
to do so.
A global
challenge
Despite this global celebration, we all know that many
consumers still face real challenges in their everyday lives, from a lack of
access or poor quality goods and services, as well as unfair practices. There
is much more to be done to raise awareness of consumer rights amongst
consumers, governments and business.
As President John F Kennedy said in his message to the US Congress
in 1962,
'Consumers by definition, include us all. They are the largest economic
group, affecting and affected by almost every public and private economic
decision. Yet they are the only important group... whose views are often not
heard.'
UN recognition for WCRD would be another step towards meeting
the challenge that President Kennedy set out more than 50 years ago.
Official UN
recognition
Official UN recognition can help to put consumer rights on
the map of even more organisations, governments, companies and media outlets.
It can help to raise awareness by engaging more people, in more activities, in
more countries.
For our Members we expect it will make it more possible for
them to get coverage of their activities and secure the participation of senior
figures from government or business. It will also help to introduce consumer
rights to new groups and help them realise the contribution that consumer
rights can make to fairer and stronger economies, poverty reduction, improved
health and safety and many other issues that affect people today. At this time of promoting the UN Sustainable
Development Goals there is further justification for the need for UN
recognition.
Achieving UN recognition requires the support of Member
states at the UN General Assembly. But, with the adoption of the revised UN Guidelines
for Consumer Protection – and the urgent need to raise awareness of these
protections, alongside the promotion of the UN Sustainable development Goals and
the quality of our engagement with national Consumer Protection Agencies, we
feel we are in the best possible place to put World Consumer Rights Day on the
UN map.
We are asking CI Members to contact their Regional Networker for more information on how to get involved.
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