Consumers International

International umbrella organisation for consumer protection

Consumers International

Founded| 1960 (1960)
Type| Charity No. 1122155
Focus| Consumer protection watchdog
Location|

* London, N5
United Kingdom

Origins| Formerly the International Organisation of Consumers Unions

Area served

| Global
Method| Campaigning
Members| 250
Website| www.consumersinternational.org

Consumers International is the membership organization for consumer groups around the world. Founded on 1 April 1960, it has over 250 member organizations in 120 countries. Its head office is situated in London, England, and has numerous regional offices in Latin America, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa.

Consumers International is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.

## History

[edit]

The organization was first established in the year 1960 as the International organization of Consumers Unions (IOCU) by National consumer organizations who wanted to create cross-border campaigns and share knowledge.

IOCU was founded by Elizabeth Schadee, who would later chair the board of the Netherlands' Consumentenbond, and Caspar Brook, who was the first director of the United Kingdom's Consumers' Association.[1] The two proposed an international conference to plan for consumer product testing organizations worldwide to work more closely together.[1] The United States organization Consumers Union provided US$10,000 at the request of Colston Warne to help fund the event.[1]

In January 1960, these three organizations sponsored the First International Conference on Consumer Testing in The Hague.[1] Thirty-four people representing seventeen consumer organizations in fourteen countries attended to discuss product testing and founding the International organization of Consumers Unions as an international organization.[1] Belgium's Association des Consommateurs and the Australian Consumers' Association joined the three conference sponsors as the five founding organizations who became the international organization's initial council.[1] In 1979, IOCU (which then became Consumers International) and other citizens' groups formed the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN)[2] to eradicate the death and disease affecting millions of babies in economically developing countries as a result of consuming bottle-fed formula milk. After intense campaigning by IBFAN, including organizing consumer boycotts against the likes of Nestlé,[3] whose subtle yet effective campaigns were undermining breastfeeding,[4] the World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization, adopted the International Code of Marketing on Breast Milk Substitutes[5] the first such code designed to control widespread marketing abuses by baby food companies.

In 1981, Consumers International co-founded the Health Action International (HAI),[6] an informal network of some 120 consumer and public interest groups, HAI engaged in worldwide campaigns for the safe, rational and economic use of pharmaceuticals. At the 41st World Health Assembly in 1987,[7] HAI organised a large lobby of delegates to urge stronger controls on advertising by the drugs industry.

## Membership

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Consumers International has over 250 member organizations in 120 countries.[8] These members are independent consumer organizations.

About two-thirds of member organizations are in economically developing countries, the other third in industrialised countries.

Consumers International also works with and hosts the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD)[9] a forum of US and EU consumer organizations that develops and agrees on consumer policy recommendations to the US government and European Union to promote the consumer interest in EU and US policy making – at its office in London.[10]

## World Consumer Rights Day

[edit]

On 15 March 1962 former US President John F. Kennedy with Consumer Bill of Rights said:[11]

> Consumers by definition include us all. They are the largest economic group, affecting and affected by almost every public and private economic decision. Yet they are the only important group… whose views are often not heard.

[relevant?]

WCRD's poster at Hanoi First two chapters of Access to Knowledge for Consumers, a book from the Access to Knowledge campaign of Consumers International

Consumer rights activist Anwar Fazal working for Consumers International at the time, later proposed the observance of a 'World Consumer Rights Day' marking that date, and on 15 March 1983 consumer organizations started observing that date as an occasion to promote basic rights of consumers.[12]

World Consumer Rights Day is an annual occasion for celebration and solidarity within the international consumer movement. Participants observe the day by promoting the basic rights of all consumers, demanding that those rights are respected and protected, and protesting about the market abuses and social injustices which undermine them. World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on 15 March every year.[13]

## Partners

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Consumers International works with the International organization for Standardization to create Standards that provide solutions to global challenges.

It holds General Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. This is the highest status granted by the United Nations to non-governmental organizations, allowing them to participate in the work of the United Nations.[14]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f Brobeck, Stephen (1997). Encyclopedia of the consumer movement. Santa Barbara, Calif. [u.a.]: ABC-Clio. pp. 175–179. ISBN 0-87436-987-8.
2. ^ "IBFAN". ibfan.org.
3. ^ "Nestlé boycott - Baby Milk Action". babymilkaction.org.
4. ^ Solomon, Stephen (6 December 1981). "THE CONTROVERSY OVER INFANT FORMULA". The New York Times.
5. ^ "CODE_E~1.DOC" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 March 2006. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
6. ^ "History - Health Action International". Haiweb.org. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
7. ^ "Info" (PDF). apps.who.int. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2017.
8. ^ "Our members - Consumers International". consumersinternational.org.
9. ^ "TACD.org". tacd.org.
10. ^ "Debating trade and consumer protection in Brussels today - U.S. PIRG". uspirg.org.
11. ^ Kennedy, John F. (15 March 1962). "Special Message to the Congress on Protecting the Consumer Interest. | The American Presidency Project". www.presidency.ucsb.edu.
12. ^ Brobeck, Stephen (1997). Encyclopedia of the consumer movement. Santa Barbara, Calif. [u.a.]: ABC-Clio. p. 176. ISBN 0-87436-987-8.
13. ^ "The Times Group". epaperbeta.timesofindia.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
14. ^ "United Nations Civil Society Participation (ICSO) – Login". Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2016.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Sim, Foo Gaik (1991). IOCU on record : a documentary history of the International Organization of Consumers Unions, 1960-1990. Yonkers, N.Y.: Consumers Union. ISBN 0-89043-531-6.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Consumers International.

* Official website (in English)
* Official website (in Spanish)

* v
* t
* e

Consumers International

a network of consumer organizations promoting the consumer movement

Members|

* Choice, Australia
* Consumentenbond, The Netherlands
* Consumer Council of Fiji, Fiji
* Consumers' Federation of Australia, Australia
* Consumer NZ, New Zealand
* Consumers Union of Japan, Japan
* Consumer Reports, United States
* Option consommateurs, Canada
* Stiftung Warentest, Germany
* Swedish Consumers' Association, Sweden
* Test-Aankoop / Test-Achats, Belgium
* UFC-Que Choisir, France
* Which?, United Kingdom

Projects|

* promoting the Consumer Bill of Rights
* Access to knowledge movement

* v
* t
* e

Consumer protection

Organizations|

* ANEC
* Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
* BEUC
* CableHell
* Center for Auto Safety
* Chamber for Workers and Employees
* Choice
* Citizens Advice
* Citizens Advice Edinburgh
* Citizens Advice International
* Citizens Advice Scotland
* Citizens Advice outside the United Kingdom
* Connecticut Citizen Action Group
* Consumentenbond
* ConsumerLab.com
* Consumer Alert
* Consumer Council of Fiji
* Consumer Direct
* Consumer Federation of California
* Consumer NZ
* Consumer organization
* Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan
* Consumer Rights Directive 2011
* Consumers Council of Canada
* Consumers' Association
* Consumers' Federation of Australia
* Consumers International
* Consumers' Coalition
* Consumers' Research
* Consumers Union
* CU Japan
* Consumer Watchdog
* Consumer Watchdog (Botswana)
* Konsumentenbund
* Euroconsumers
* Foodwatch
* Franchisees and Dealers
* ICRT
* Labdoor
* Open Food Facts
* Option consommateurs
* Stiftung Warentest
* StopBadware
* Swedish Consumers' Association
* Swiss Alliance of Consumer Organisations
* Test Achats
* Truth in Advertising
* UFC-Que Choisir

Magazines|

* Akher Saa
* Beobachter
* Choice
* Consumer Reports
* Consumers' Checkbook
* dTest
* Ethical Consumer
* Finanztest
* Guter Rat
* Pirkka
* Spendere Meglio
* Stiftung Warentest
* Which?

Television|

* The Checkout
* Don't Get Done, Get Dom
* Fair Go
* Fake Britain
* Fight Back! with David Horowitz
* Food Inspectors
* Gruen
* The Investigators
* JE
* Joe Lycett's Got Your Back
* Marketplace
* Rip Off Britain
* Rogue Traders
* Short Change
* Street Cents
* Target
* That's Life!
* Watchdog

Lists|

* List of consumer organizations
* ICRT Members
* Consumer organization

Issues|

* Airline complaints
* Anti-competitive practices
* Antitrust
* Better Business Bureau
* Class action
* Competition regulator
* Consumer complaint
* Consumer organization
* Cooling-off period
* Credit and debt
* Extended warranty
* Fair trade
* Federal Trade Commission
* Food safety
* List of food labeling regulations
* Mandatory labelling
* Ombudsman
* Planned obsolescence
* Product recall
* Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991
* Transparency (market)

People|

* Pamela Gilbert
* Joanna Guy
* Ted Halstead
* Arshad Hasan
* Tom Hucker
* Jim Jontz
* Gene Karpinski
* Florence Kelley
* James Love
* Ralph Nader
* Anthony Pollina
* Phil Radford
* Joyce Elaine Roop
* Donald Kemp Ross
* Gene Russianoff
* Celeste Thorson
* Michael Vernon

Governmental
entities|

* Banking Standards Board
* Bureau of Consumer Protection
* Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
* European Consumer Centres Network
* Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
* Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety
* INDEPABIS
* National Homelessness Advice Service
* Office of Fair Trading
* Office for Fair Trading (Malta)
* Office for Fair Trading (Isle of Man)
* Pension Wise
* Water Industry Commission for Scotland
* Witness Service

Current
competition
regulators|

* Administrative Council for Economic Defense
* Anti-Monopoly Committee
* Australian Competition & Consumer Commission
* Autoridade da Concorrência
* Autorité de la concurrence
* Comisión Federal de Competencia Económica
* Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia
* Commerce Commission
* Competition and Consumer Protection Commission
* Competition and Markets Authority
* Competition Appeal Tribunal
* Competition Bureau
* Competition Commission
* Competition Commission
* Competition Commission
* Competition and Consumer Commission
* Directorate-General for Competition
* Fair Trade Commission
* Fair Trade Commission
* Fair Trade Commission
* Federal Antimonopoly Service
* Federal Cartel Office
* Federal Trade Commission
* Financial Markets Authority
* International Competition Network
* International Financial Services Commission
* Italian Competition Authority
* Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority
* Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China
* Netherlands Competition Authority
* Norwegian Competition Authority
* Philippine Competition Commission
* Queensland Competition Authority
* Superintendency of Industry and Commerce
* United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division

Historic
competition
regulators|

* Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authorities
* Industrial Commission
* National Board for Prices and Incomes
* Securities Commission of New Zealand

Public Interest
Research Group
(PIRG)|

* Alaska PIRG
* Arizona PIRG
* California PIRG
* Colorado PIRG
* Connecticut PIRG
* Georgia PIRG
* Illinois PIRG
* Iowa PIRG
* Maryland PIRG
* Massachusetts PIRG
* Minnesota PIRG
* Missouri PIRG
* New Jersey PIRG
* New Mexico PIRG
* New York PIRG
* North Carolina PIRG
* Ohio PIRG
* Ontario PIRG
* Pennsylvania PIRG
* Michigan PIRG
* Rhode Island PIRG
* Vermont PIRG
* Washington PIRG
* Wisconsin PIRG

Environmental|

* Bioscience Resource Project
* Environmental Action
* League of Conservation Voters
* Green Corps
* Environment America

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