INSIGHT TO IMPACT: HOW OUR TOOLKIT DRIVES POSITIVE CONSUMER CHANGE - PART FOUR
Behind every global shift are people who chose to trust, listen and work together. This explains why the bridges we have built between consumer groups, policymakers and other actors are essential to the work we do. This final instalment of our four-part looks at our toolkit for change and explores how the relationships we have nurtured over time have catalysed our impact and the change seen across consumer policy, standards and business practice.
Part one - Introduction to our 6-lever interconnected toolkit
Part two - How consumer-led research lays the foundation for change
Part three - Public awareness and community action
PARTNERSHIPS DRIVING IMPACT ON TOP CONSUMER ISSUES
Establishing an integrated consumer network with global reach doesn’t happen overnight. Making connections, developing multisector dialogues and building trust requires dedication and persistence. And this happens across all levels of our partnerships – local, regional and global – as the examples below show: those with international agencies, those between Members and governments in-country, and those which unite different sectoral actors around the world on certain issues.
They understand that the change needed in today’s marketplace recognises the growing horizontal nature of consumer issues brought by globalization, increasing digitization, the impacts of climate change, and the changing role of the consumer.
DRIVING CONNECTIONS WITHIN NATIONAL AND REGIONAL LANDSCAPES
In response to unprecedented food cost increases in 2023-24, we mobilised consumer associations, farmer groups, government bodies and multilateral organisations across the African region. These dynamic partnerships were at the heart of our Consumer Voice for Fair Food Prices initiative.
The coalitions analysed data from our Fair Food Prices Monitor, which showed alarming price divergence between retail and wholesale costs and gave a strong indicator of price gouging. Policy-makers across competition bodies were able to catalyse regulatory action in Nigeria, Kenya and Zambia, bolstered by a media campaign which reached 30 million consumers across the region.
Amenya Omari, Director, Competition & Consumer Protection at CAK
FAIR DIGITAL FINANCE
Another powerful example of collaboration between government and consumer groups has been shown through our Fair Digital Finance Accelerator. Thanks to the skills, strategies, connection, visibility and research provided to 77 consumer associations as part of the Accelerator, our Members were inspired to innovate, engage with regulators more frequently and see engagement of a higher quality. Among other components of the Accelerator, this helped to see at least 10 specific legislative or industry improvements implemented across Brazil, Rwanda, Uganda, Barbados, Cambodia and Fiji.
This is unique because it has established and been guided by cross-sector dialogue, comprising our Members and key industry players - who are right at the interface with consumers and hold some important levers to improve service. In 2026 we will share 10 actionable opportunities for energy industry actors to build new and innovative models which deliver more inclusive energy services and reflect the new realities of our daily lives.
And as technology has enhanced product and data safety concerns, our Trust by Design guidelines developed together with consumer organisations, Internet of Things (IoT) manufacturers and with the support of Vodafone, helps product developers comply with regulatory requirements. It provides practical guidance, case studies and checklists so that manufacturers can reliably build safe and trusted IoT products. Among other things, Cybersecurity Tech Accord has shared its findings and recommendations amongst its 150+ global coalition of technology firms.
We later used our research in 2022 to inform a global call around the need for five baselines IoT security standards. Together with the World Economic Forum’s Council of the Connected World, the Cybersecurity Tech Accord and I Am the Cavalry, we mobilised business, civil society, security researcher communities and government cybersecurity agencies. The statement was endorsed by more than 100 leading organisations.
UNITING ACTORS WITH A SHARED PURPOSE: A COALITION TO STOP SCAMS
Our Consumer Coalition to Stop Scams provides a recent example of how diverse actors centred on a specific pressing issue can drive momentum for change. Launched in 2023, the coalition hosts 40+ organisations from 30 countries. It regularly convenes our Members, governments, subject matter experts and global businesses to strengthen policy across borders and build a global response to protect consumers from scams.
In November 2025, we released our bi-annual ‘Scams Barometer’, a collaborative tool built with input from across the Coalition which - over time – will show trends relating to changing consumer realities, gaps and solutions. Its release in November 2025 accompanied by a Global Action Agenda s set to advance government commitment on the issues found.
BUILDING ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE TO DRIVE LOCAL IMPACT
Over recent years we have seen our partnerships with multilateral organisations advance so that consumer groups are brought into leading global and regional decision-making forums. This includes our connections with the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the International Organization for Standards (ISO), alongside a growing influence at the G20.
Ahead of each, we gather the insights, priorities, and messages from across our Members to help enrich discussion and to ensure a range of national consumer perspectives are presented.
Members have also joined in person to help open doors to government representatives – a priority we felt important following our State of Global Advocacy 2023 report – which found a general sense of disconnectedness from government.
As a key partner to UNCTAD, we have collaborated to create the United Nations Guidelines on Consumer Protection (UNGCP) – a major playbook for policy-makers and other partners to advance global consumer protections.
We campaigned for the adoption of the Guidelines in 1985 and have played a leading role in their development since, on issues such as climate action, energy and product safety.
Consumers International at UNCTAD 2025
And as global challenges increase in geopolitics, tariffs and climate impacts, we have been given the opportunity to proactively shape ministerial discussions, working groups, and consultations to help address some of the issues we see in the modern marketplace. Among outcomes from the UNCTAD 9th Conference on Competition and Consumer Policy in July 2025, we helped to pass a UN draft resolution on product safety which has advanced to the UN General Assembly for formal adoption. We played an active role in the Working Group that helped drive its development and adoption.
Similarly at the first-ever OECD Consumer Policy Ministerial Meeting in Paris in late 2024 - together with our delegation of Members from across the UK, India, Nigeria, Mexico, the USA and the Netherlands – we contributed to every discussion and influenced commitments to global product safety through the Declaration on Consumer Protection endorsed by ministers and other representatives, demonstrating a commitment across many national level contexts.
John Duffy, Chief Executive, Consumer (New Zealand)
JOIN US
Our track record of building bridges to effect change is the result of the dedication of the Members, policymakers, business and other actors we work closely with and who are deeply committed to improving consumer rights and amplifying the voice of the consumer.
Click here to find out more about Membership and here for partnership opportunities.
Read the rest of this series here:
Part one - Introduction to our 6-lever interconnected toolkit
Part two - How consumer-led research lays the foundation for change