World Consumer Rights Day 2023

World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on March 15th in many countries under different slogans, but has a common goal: to make both policy-makers and citizens aware that an adequate level of consumer protection contributes to a sense of security and justice in society and should be appropriate to the challenges of the 21st century.

History of World Consumer Rights Day

World Consumer Rights Day was established by an international organisation of consumer associations – known as Consumers International – which brings together 240 consumer organisations and institutions (including the Consumer Federation) from 120 countries worldwide. It was first celebrated on March 15th 1983 to mark the anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's speech on the consumer protection bill. During his speech to the U.S. Congress in 1962, the American President formulated four basic consumer rights: information, choice, security, and
representation.

In the following years they were developed by Consumer International into a catalogue of consumer rights, which became the basis for all consumer groups. It contains eight universal rights for consumers regardless of which country they live in. Thus, every consumer has the right to satisfy basic needs, protection against products, production and service processes that may present a risk to life and health, access to information, express opinions, redress, consumer education and a healthy environment.

Twenty years after John F. Kennedy's speech, on April 9th 1985, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted (!) „Guidelines on Consumer Protection”. This document is addressed to all governments of UN member states. They have specific obligations towards consumers – citizens of individual countries. The „Guidelines” point to many of the governments' responsibilities, which include, among other things, promoting an increase in the ethics of producers and traders, helping to combat unfair business practices affecting consumers at both national and international level, facilitating the development of an independent consumer movement, expanding international cooperation in the field of consumer protection, promoting economic development that will provide consumers with more choice of goods and services at lower prices.