Consumers International Celebrate Their 60th Anniversary
The consumer movement has grown from a pioneering group of founding members in 1960 to an incredibly diverse and powerful global network in 2020. During the course of the last 60 years, there have been some inspiring collaborative wins and moments of impact; from getting guidelines on consumer protection adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 1985 and contributing to the 2015 abolition of export subsidies for agricultural products, to successfully campaigning for the G20 to develop international principles on financial consumer protection. With over 200 member organisations in more than 100 countries, we continue to build a powerful international movement to help protect and empower consumers everywhere.
This important milestone is a moment to recognise and celebrate the extraordinary achievements of the consumer movement – but it is also a key opportunity to look to the future and highlight the central role of consumers and consumer advocates as we move towards 2030.
2020 itself has been an incredibly challenging year so far and has required leadership through crisis, showing that a united, determined and passionate movement is critical, with consumer groups working together with key partners and global leaders to drive change towards a safer, fairer and more sustainable world.
VISION 2030
We asked consumer leaders from our Board, Council, and select members from across the globe to share their vision for the future and explore what consumer advocacy will have achieved by 2030. Across all regions, the top 3 issues to emerge were sustainability, digitalisation and inclusion. For a comprehensive picture of the priorities and visions shared by our global membership and key partners, visit our 60th anniversary page here.
“This decade is the determinant in our sustainability challenge – it is a decade of many transitions, many opportunities and many threats – and a celebration of community.”
Yasir Suliman, Secretary-General, Sudanese Consumer Protection Society
“In the future, consumer advocacy should ensure greater protection in the Digital Economy, strong regulatory frameworks to protect consumers, a shrinking digital gap, and self-protection through digital literacy.”
Marimuthu Nadason, CEO, Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (FOMCA)
“What will consumer advocacy have achieved by 2030 globally? Consumers in all countries will have equal access to essential products and services, including healthy food, healthcare and medication. The same goes for essential financial services (checking accounts, mortgage) and digital services.”
Sandra Molenaar, CEO, Consumentenbond (Netherlands)