Key Issues

Last updated: 12 February 2007

Key issues

Capacity building
More than three quarters of Consumers International's members are in developing countries where constraints in institutional frameworks and resource mobilisation can pose a challenge to emerging organisations. Consumers International aims to develop strong and independent consumer groups and advocates through targeted capacity building activities.

Competition
Consumers have a strong interest in effective competition policy and regulation. Rules are needed to control anti-competitive behaviour in all market economies, whatever their mix of private and state enterprise, to ensure lower prices, better choice and quality, and access to essential goods and services.

Consumer Education
Countries all over the world have included consumer education in the school curriculum as a result of Consumers International's formal and non-formal programmes in this area. These include training teachers and popular educators, and helping to produce education materials.

Corporate Social Responsibility
Promoting the ethical behaviour of transnational companies has been a central concern of Consumers International for many years. The Consumers International Consumer Charter for Global Business outlines what consumers expect from businesses. Consumers International works actively to develop ISO guideslines on social responsibility.  

Food
Since its establishment, Consumers International has campaigned on a wide range of food issues. It has recently expanded its food work with a global Food and Nutrition Programme launched in January 2002 covering food security, food safety, biotechnology and sustainable food production and consumption. Consumers International is actively involved with the Codex Alimentarius - the UN body responsible for setting global food standards.

Health
Consumer health and safety are priority concerns. Consumers International promotes the rational use of essential drugs, universal high quality health care services, and patients' rights. Consumers International has long been active in campaigning against marketing abuses by baby-food companies and tobacco companies.

Intellectual Property
Consumers International works to promote more balanced Intellectual Property (IP) rules. This means exploring the creation of public goods and enhancing the public domain, and fostering a fairer system of managing intellectual property in international and bilateral trade agreements and regimes.

Public Utilities
The provision of basic services such as energy, water and telecommunications is of critical concern to all consumers. Consumers International carries out research, policy development, training and advocacy towards consumer participation in privatisation, regulation and the monitoring of utilities.

Sustainable Consumption
Consumers International recognises that meeting the needs of tomorrow's consumers will depend on shifts towards more sustainable consumption patterns today. Consumers International represents the consumer interest in various forums, like the UNEP, OECD and CSD, which have all issued codes on the protection of the environment.

Trade
It is vital that international trade agreements benefit consumers. Consumers International has official representation at United Nations agencies, and lobbies the World Trade Organisation and other global and regional organisations to make the consumer voice heard.

Technical Standards
Consumers International represents consumers on many committees of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), which influence the safety and performance of consumer goods, including second-hand goods.