On 9 April 1985, the United Nations' General Assembly
adopted the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection,
following a decade of hard lobbying by Consumers International,
then known as IOCU, and consumer organisations. They also form the
basis of much of CI's work on consumer protection and law
(CPL).
The guidelines embrace the principles of the eight consumer rights and provide
a framework for strengthening national consumer protection polices.
They also form the basis of CI's work on consumer protection and
law (CPL).
With the UN's adoption of the guidelines, consumer rights were
finally elevated to a position of international recognition and
legitimacy, acknowledged by developed and developing countries
alike. Yet they can continue to be ignored or trivialised by
governments, producers and powerful interests.
Also see UN Guidelines and our Access to Knowledge
campaign.
CI action on CPL
Establishing good consumer protection legislation is fundamental
to the development of consumer rights around the world. It is the
thread that runs across all of our work,
from campaigns on access to essential services, to calls for better
standards and clearer labelling.
CPL also forms the basis of our annual World Consumer Rights Day activities and
our campacity building work, which is covered in the Building
Better Consumer Organisations section.