Member resources
Welcome to the exclusive resources area for Consumers International members. Below you will find campaign and advocacy materials and activities you can get involved with and ways to stay up-to-date with the latest sector news. If you have any questions please contact members@consint.org.
- Keep up with all the latest consumer information
- Past Member Alerts and newsletters
- Current campaign: UN recognition for World Consumer Rights Day
- Grants
- Current opportunities for joint member activities
- Useful tools
We’ve made it easy for you to keep up-to-date with all the latest news from Consumers International and our global membership.
E-NEWSLETTER AND MEMBER ALERT
By signing up to our free monthly e-newsletter, you can get news, and views delivered straight to your inbox. As a Consumers International member you can get exclusive access to our timely member alert service. These alerts will provide you with news, campaign resources, invitations to join our global actions and opportunities for collaborating with other member organisations, both in your region and across the world. Both the e-newsletter and the member alerts are available in English, Spanish, French and Arabic.
Sign up for these communications here.
E-NETWORKS
We also have our e-network email groups on key topics and campaign areas open to full and affiliate members. Once you have been added to a list you will receive reports and updates relevant to your chosen issue as well as being able to share information with other list subscribers. We currently have lists for:
- Digital
- Food
- Standards
- Sustainable Consumption
- Consumer Protection (any issues not covered by the specific categories above)
The e-networks are in English. If you would like to be added to one of our lists, please email members@consint.org with your name, organisation, country and which list you would like to be added to.
Raising awareness of consumer rights amongst consumers, businesses and governments is an important step in strengthening consumer protection and realising consumers’ rights. We believe that UN recognition of World Consumer Rights Day can play a crucial part in placing consumer rights on the agenda of more organisations, governments, companies and media outlets. It can help us to raise awareness by engaging more people, more organisations and more countries. Securing UN recognition will also help Consumers International and our global members to continue their support for the implementation of the newly revised UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection.
what you can do
Consumers International is asking all our members and supporters to write to their Minister responsible for Consumer Protection or the Head of their national consumer protection agency to ask them to support this proposal at the meeting of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy taking place in July 2017 in Geneva.
- Download and adapt our draft letter and send it to the Minister responsible for consumer protection or the head of your national consumer protection agency. Please send your letter before 12 June.
- You can also show your support on social media by downloading our images below and attaching them to your Tweet or Facebook post. Suggested tweet: We’re supporting the @Consumers_Int call to make #WorldConsumerRightsDay an official UN day! #ConsumerProtection
- Please confirm your support by contacting the Consumers International global office or your regional networker
Consumers International administers two grants which are open to our members and aim to empower and champion consumers across the world. For your ease, we store relevant application documentation for these grants here, in addition to emailing them upon request. Email members@consint.org if you need any more information.
green action fund
The Green Action Fund is a collaborative project by Consumers International and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) to promote sustainable consumption.
Members are invited to apply for a grant to carry out consumer awareness and advocacy activities under the theme 'Safer, more sustainable food for all'. Utilising local expertise and networks, members promote local, practical solutions to global consumer issues.
The programme is open to members in developing countries and transitional economies to assist them in carrying out their own campaigns to achieve these ends.
- Application form and submit it by 19 May 2017. (French, Spanish, Arabic versions).
- Download these resources prepared to help members in the design of their application and the implementation of their projects:
-Campaign guide: Safer, more sustainable food for all. (French, Spanish, Arabic versions)
- SSNC report: Organic food and farming for all.
- SSNC Gender Policy Document. - Read about last year's Green Action Fund initiatives.
anne fransen fund
The Anne Fransen Fund has a mission to advance the position of consumers in developing and transitional economies, through capacity building and campaigning projects. Grants of up to €10,000 are awarded to members to carry out consumer projects that are linked to one of the eight basic consumer rights. The proposal must address one of Anne Fransen Fund or Consumers International’s priority areas (financial services; consumer justice and protection; food; digital; drugs and health). The application form needs to be submitted to your Consumes International regional office by 31 October 2016.
Consumers International’s Australian member, CHOICE, is launching a survey on ticket resale websites (like Viagogo and Stubhub) to identify the main consumer and industry problems with ticket resale. It will also try to identify solutions to these problems, applicable to international markets and release a report of the survey results. There is the opportunity for other Consumers International members to get involved with the campaign - more details about how below.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
- CHOICE will launch its survey in early April, 2017 on
www.choice.com.au/tickedoff (not live yet). Organisations can join CHOICE on the launch date, or join in the campaign at a later date that suits you. You can get involved by either directing consumers to CHOICE’s survey link (CHOICE will then provide you data from survey responses from your country after June) or by running the survey on your own software and providing CHOICE with the results by June 9 for analysis. - Consumer organisations are welcome to use the CHOICE branding, or to give the campaign a name and brand that is appropriate for your market. CHOICE can provide its images for use, or you can use your own imagery.
- Read the campaign briefing to find out more (only in English).
Our members and partners often create tools and materials which are useful for all those working in the consumer rights sector. Below are some of the most recent and current useful tools which you can use.
UNCTAD has developed a tool to measure the countries e-trade environment. The tool assesses conditions across the world to support online business activity, and compares countries. It was created as part of the multi-stakeholder eTrade for All initiative and will help developing countries and countries with economies in transition to engage in and benefit from e-commerce.
Consumer Reports has created a digital privacy and security standard for consumers. The standard will aim to help guide companies in the design of mobile and Internet-connected products and services, such as smart appliances, mobile apps, and software. In addition, the standard will enable CR and other testing organisations to test, evaluate, and report on whether products protect consumer security and privacy. The platform is open source, with other members being invited to input.
Your Regional Networkers Details
Our Regional Networkers and Global Office Team support our members to connect.
Xaverine Ndikunagenge
Africa
Indrani Thuraisingham
Asia Pacific
Tamara Meza
Latin American and Caribbean
Aziza Mourassilo
Middle East
Global Office
North America and Europe