Consumers at UNCTAD: Advancing Protection, Innovation and Impact

14 July 2025

From 07 – 11 July, Consumers International joined 600 participants from 98 countries at the 9th United Nations Conference on Competition and Consumer Protection. Here, we presented bold, practical solutions to today’s most pressing consumer challenges, demonstrating how consumer advocacy drives efficiency, innovation, and real-world impact in rapidly changing markets.

A moment of urgency

At a time of global volatility – including rising prices, climate shocks, evolving digital landscapes, and unequal market access – consumers are navigating increasingly complex challenges.  

Now more than ever, strong consumer protection is critical. Yet, consumer perspectives are often absent from major policy conversations. Our presence at UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) conferences and other global moments is helping to change this. 

We brought a delegation of nine Members from around the world to discussions, they told of the lived experience of consumers across core themes including digitalisation, health, circular economy, food systems, and global trade. 

Prof Chiso Ndukwe-Okafor representing CADEF and Consumers International

Building bridges between government and consumer advocates

During a side event, ‘Unlocking Opportunities: Governments and Civil Society Advancing Consumer Protection’, we united senior policymakers and consumer advocacy leaders across different regions and sectors. 

Last year, we asked why closer collaboration was essential. This year, we showed what is possible when it works: co-created policies grounded in real consumer experience, stronger regulatory enforcement through shared data, and impactful regional initiatives that protect and empower consumers at scale.  

Collaboration in practice

In 2023, as part of our Fair Food Prices initiatives we brought together leading consumer associations and national policymakers in 20+ countries in Africa to examine the affordability of healthy, sustainable foods. The initiative sparked regulatory change in Nigeria, Kenya, and Zambia, which continues to this day.

High-level engagement with global leadership 

Throughout the week, we met with senior leaders and representatives from international institutions, including UNCTAD, World Trade Organization, and World Health Organization. Across these high-level dialogues, we raised a wide range of pressing consumer issues, including: 

  • Rising tariffs and their impact on affordability 
  • Strengthening food safety, nutrition, and front-of-pack labelling 
  • Climate shocks disrupting supply chains and market access 
  • Data sovereignty and consumer protection in the digital age 
  • Connecting digital, trade, and development agendas 
  • The importance of integrating grassroots perspectives in building responsive policy 

While these conversations covered a broad range of topics, a core theme ran through them all: consumer voices are central to shaping fair, inclusive, and resilient global systems. 

Consumers International meet with the World Trade Organization

Celebrating past success and shaping the future 

With this year marking the 40th anniversary of the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection, we joined in celebrating what the guidelines have achieved. We are proud to have helped shape the Guidelines - a pioneering international framework dedicated to safeguarding consumer rights.  

 Building on this achievement, a landmark UN draft resolution on product safety was officially endorsed by Conference Delegates on Friday, 11 July, and is now set to move to the UN General Assembly for formal adoption. This lays out global principles to protect consumers across online and offline markets, strengthening recall systems, setting clearer safety standards, and better protecting vulnerable groups. Consumers International played an active role in the Working Group that helped drive its development and adoption. 

And we stood united with our partners in verbally supporting the continuation of UNCTAD’s working groups on product safety, e-commerce, and gender. While these groups are currently set to disband, Consumers International advocated for preserving these platforms, recognising the real value they bring in shaping effective and inclusive consumer protection globally. 

Addressing emerging technologies

With AI reshaping consumer markets at unprecedented speed, we focused on the emerging risks, opportunities, and responsibilities that come with this transformation. 

In a high-level panel entitled, ‘Safeguarding and empowering consumers in the age of AI’ we emphasised that while AI offers great promise, it is not evolving with or for consumers. For example, our global chatbot experiment – conducted with 35 Members across 19 countries - found that 100% of chatbots produced hallucinations, and users had only a 50% chance of receiving a citation.  These findings point towards emerging risks around trust, transparency, and accountability, especially as AI becomes more embedded in everyday consumer experiences. 

To reinforce this message, Consumers International and its Member brought the consumer voice to the AI for Good Global Summit, held concurrently in Geneva. Here, we connected with partners and explored how AI innovation can better serve and protect consumers. 

Looking ahead 

At a time of global change, we will continue building the bridges we need across countries, institutions, and sectors. In doing so, we will drive innovation, strengthen systems, and deliver lasting impact. 

The challenges are significant, but so is the potential to drive positive change. Consumer voices must remain central to shaping the markets and technologies of tomorrow. We welcome all partners committed to a fairer, more resilient future to join us in shaping a world where every consumer can thrive. 

A multilateral meeting between Consumers International Members and UNCTAD