Welcome Consumers International marks 50 years of the global consumer movement in 2010. Celebrate with us as we continue to support, promote and protect consumer rights around the world. consumersinternational.org/50
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Subscribe to this feedNoticeboardiPhone 4 - Consumer organisation's credibility forces Apple to acknowledge problem
The Consumers Union publication, Consumer Reports, published test results detailing the antenna problems in the iPhone 4 smartphone. It's conclusion was that 'due to this problem, we can't recommend the iPhone 4' CI at European Parliament to push for better supermarket CSR
CI's 50th anniversary celebrations continue
Pictures and details of the latest celebrations. Download the commemorative anniversary booklet (pdf) in English, Spanish or French for full colour facts about all the global consumer movement’s major milestones. Discover the full history of the consumer movement with this special editorial feature from former CI Director General Julian Edwards. And find out about our vision for the future with a feature on CI Today. Download our special CI at 50 Logo for your website. Which? leads cross-party calls for overhaul of UK banking system
See also... Consumer solutions to the financial fix, Our Money, Our Rights! - World Consumer Rights Day 2010 Global social responsibility becomes reality
Find out about the consumer movement's key role in developing the standard and read the CI statement on the implications of using ISO 26000. Fire guts consumer group office amid political unrest in Thailand
The latest information will be posted here as it comes in. The Director of FFC, Saree Aongsomwang, blogs for CI on the catastrophic damage the fire has done to her organisation’s HQ. CI welcomes new recommendations on food marketing
The World Health Organization’s WHO recommendations call on governments to develop policies to reduce the impact of junk food marketing on children. The recommendations are particularly strong in calling for governments to ban all junk food marketing in areas where children are gathered, such as in schools and playgrounds. Consumers International (CI) has been campaigning for an international code on the marketing of food to children since 2007. See also... CI's Junk Food Generation microsite; have your say on the Junk Food Generation blog UN puts Green Economy centre stage in negotiations on sustainable development
Read our latest commentary on the Green Economy and the outcome of CSD-18 on the CI blog. Plus our expectations for Rio+20, and why the CSD process is important to consumer movement.
Responsible retailer campaigns launched across Europe
The results of their research were recently published in Checked Out - a new report by CI. In the next stage of this EC funded project to raise consumer awareness on the links between trade and poverty reduction, a number of CI members have now launched national campaigns. Read more... Download… Checked Out 2010 IP Watchlist released: consumers still come second to copyright cartels
Copyright law is changing rapidly, but most often the changes are for the benefit of rights holders only, disregarding consumer interest in fair and affordable access to educational and cultural materials. Particular concerns included enforcement practices that infringe upon consumer rights, and compulsory copying levies that offer poor value for money. However, the report also reveals some best practices that could turn the situation around for consumers, if only the practices were more widely implemented. You can download a free copy of the IP Watchlist report for 2010, and browse through the individual country reports on which the report is based, at http://A2Knetwork.org/watchlist. CI members can also request full-colour printed copies of the IP Watchlist. When Copyright Goes Bad: A2K film launchedCopyright rules no longer do what they are supposed to do. They have gone bad. When Copyright Goes Bad is a new short film introducing the renegotiation of copyright and is for anyone interested in how copyright is affecting consumers. This is a film about how copyright has become one of the most important consumer issues of the digital age. Why corporate lobbying risks criminalising the actions of hundreds of thousands of people. And what the future holds for the fight for fairer copyright laws. It features some of the key players in the copyright debate including Fred Von Lohmann - Electronic Frontier Foundation, Michael Geist - University of Ottawa Law School, Jim Killock - Open Rights Group, and Hank Shocklee - co-founder of Public Enemy. Watch the film... You can watch, copy and adapt When Copyright Goes Bad for free, as long as content is attributed and the same Creative Commons licence is used. Visit http://www.youtube.com/consumersintl for the film in English, French and Spanish. See also... Read more on the Access to Knowledge A2K network site; have your say on copyright on the A2K blog; comment on consumer issues on the Consumers International blog. World Consumer Rights Day 2010 - CI members celebrate success
World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 2010 was a resounding success, highlighting the strength and solidarity
of consumer organisations worldwide. The day saw fantastic contributions from
our members, a mass of media coverage and endorsements from global leaders
including Prime Minister
Ali Mujawar of Yemen and British
Prime Minister Gordon Brown! See the highlights of activities from WCRD 2010.
The theme for WCRD 2010 was ‘Our money, our rights’ and highlighted consumer issues in relation to financial services. Financial services in Africa and Asia are important. Read about the new developments in Our money, our rights: the evolution of financial services in Africa and Asia (pdfs). And read the CI briefing on how the global consumer movement is fighting for fair financial services (pdf). Visit the Our money, our rights blog or follow WCRD 2010 on Twitter for the latest news and updates. For more helpful suggestions and advice, download a member action pack in your language. See also... Consumer solutions to the financial fix, WCRD background and previous themes, WCRD 2010 banners and logos WCRD activity: Stretching your RinggitWorld Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) is 15 March 2010. The theme this year is ‘Our money, our rights’ and will highlight consumer issues in relation to financial services. CI's Kuala Lumpur Office in partnership with Citi Foundation Malaysia produced a series of videos broadcast on national TV in Malaysia in 2009. The announcements are aimed at equipping consumers with practical skills and knowledge in personal financial management for 'Stretching your Ringgit' (the currency of Malaysia). Watch the videos to get ideas on how your organisation can empower consumers in your region to take control of their Ringgits, dollars, pesos, rands or Kenyan shillings. See also... Consumer solutions to the financial fix; WCRD background and previous themes Consumers International turns 50
We will also keep you right up to date with all the activities that will take place around the world this year. Read more...
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CI facilitated a multi-stakeholder discussion on supermarket supply chains and workers’
rights in developing countries on 23 June. Attended by key figures from the European Parliament, civil society, retail associations and the consumer movement, the event explored the impact of European supermarket supply chains on
workers and communities in developing countries.
CI turns 50 years old in 2010 and celebrations marking this
special anniversary have been happening around the world throughout the year. CI
offices and member organisations from Armenia to Malaysia (pictured) have been
putting on events. You can find details of these, plus plenty of information about 50 years of the global consumer movement in our
CI 50 section:
The United Kingdom's Future of Banking Commission has today delivered
its findings to the UK Government, calling for profound reform of the
banking system. The Commission, which was set up by CI's UK member Which?, is a cross-party body looking to increase consumer input into financial services reform.
Following eight years of campaigning by CI and its members, the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) has finally announced its approval for the launch of a global standard on social responsibility at the end of 2010. ISO 26000 will be a landmark step in corporate accountability, providing consumers with unprecedented guidance on the social and environmental behavior of companies.
The political unrest in Thailand has led to major public disturbances in the capital Bangkok over the past weeks. Sadly, this has led to severe fire damage to the offices of CI member organisation, the Foundation for Consumers (FFC). 
A new set of international recommendations calling on governments to take action on the marketing of food to children were agreed at the World Health Assembly in Geneva on 20 May 2010.
With almost three weeks of talks coming to an end at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (150x150.jpg "Cocoa beans (image by Nestle, Creative Commons Licence)")
During the last year, Consumers International (CI) member organisations in eight EU countries have surveyed leading supermarkets on their policies on labour conditions in developing countries and trading relationships in supply chains. 
Consumers International has realeased the 2010 IP Watchlist, a survey of 34 countries to help map global trends in copyright laws and enforcement practices around the world. None of the countries surveyed scored the top mark, for affording their
consumers fair treatment in copyright law overall.
Throughout 2010 we will look at the role CI has played in the development of consumer rights around the world... the key personalities, the key dates and the major campaign achievements.