In early 2016, Consumers International (CI) has proposed the United Nations to recognise World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) as an official UN International Day. CFA is happy to report that over the year, the recognition of WCRD has made significant improvement.
The proposal was raised for debate at the pilot UN Intergovernmental Expert Group Meeting on Consumer Protection this October. The meeting saw strong support for the recognition of WCRD from various representatives internationally. Due to reservations from a global delegation, the consensus was to consult further on the WCRD proposal.
The meeting closed with the possibility of a World Consumer Day recognition rather than WCRD. CI have previously raised that they do not support a UN recognised World Consumer Day. CI have stated that there is a possibility of a misinterpretation of WCD, being labelled as consumption celebration. This is in direct contradiction with the objectives of CI and other consumer organisations, which advocate for sustainable consumption.
The concluding notes from CI acknowledge the overarching support for CI’s proposal for WCRD to be recognised by the UN. CI will continue to work closely with their members to campaign for the official recognition at the Intergovernmental Expert Group Meeting on Consumer Protection next year.
The information from this article was taken from a post made on the Consumers International website, available here