🌐 UN Conference Calls for Bold Action to Protect Consumers in a Globalized Digital Economy
📅 Published: 11 July 2025
📍 Geneva, Switzerland
By: Consumer Advocacy and Information Resource (CAIR)
The United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) concluded its 9th United Nations Conference on Competition and Consumer Protection with a strong call to action: build fair, open, and inclusive markets in the age of digital transformation and global supply chains.
Held every five years, this global conference is the highest-level multilateral meeting on consumer protection and competition policy. The 2025 conference gathered over 500 participants from more than 100 countries, including ministers, diplomats, and civil society leaders.
🌟 Top 5 Key Areas to Watch in Global Consumer Protection
The conference outlined five critical focus areas that will shape global consumer protection over the next five years:
1. 🛡️ Advancing Global Product Safety Standards
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44% of UN member states lack product safety laws.
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Delegates endorsed the first-ever UN Principles for Consumer Product Safety, aimed at setting global standards.
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A draft resolution is now headed to the UN General Assembly for formal adoption.
2. 🌐 Cross-Border Dispute Resolution & Redress
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In 2022, global e-commerce reached $27 trillion, but only a quarter involved cross-border sales due to weak consumer trust.
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A new Declaration on Cross-Border Redress, led by the Dominican Republic, was adopted.
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UNCTAD also proposed a global online dispute resolution platform, designed to be open-source, interoperable, and consumer-friendly.
3. 🤖 Responsible Governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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Urgent calls were made to regulate AI ethically and protect consumers from manipulation.
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Case studies showed how consumer protection agencies are using AI to detect unsafe business practices and speed up enforcement.
4. 🌾 Promoting Competitive and Fairer Food Supply Chains
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Four corporations control over 70% of the agrochemical market and 85% of global grain trade.
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UNCTAD urged the adoption of pro-poor competition policies to level the playing field for smallholder farmers and protect consumers.
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Emphasis was also placed on sustainable consumption, circular economy models, and green transitions in developing countries.
5. 🌍 Strengthening Global Cooperation and Enforcement
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A core theme of the conference: problems are global — solutions must be too.
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UNCTAD promoted regional platforms for joint investigations, data sharing, and training.
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The Guiding Policies and Procedures on Cooperation for Competition was highlighted as a tool for building trust and coordination between national authorities.
🔚 Closing Reflections: A Shared Global Mission
The conference marked:
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45 years of the UN Set of Principles on Competition
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40 years of the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection
Deputy Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno described these documents as “living tools designed to serve people,” urging renewed global efforts to ensure markets are both efficient and fair.
“Together, we can ensure that markets are not only efficient but also fair. Not just open, but inclusive.” – Pedro Manuel Moreno
The event reinforced that in a time of rapid digital change, global consumer protection and fair competition are more critical than ever.
📢 Stay Informed!
Follow CAIR for updates on how these global actions will impact national policies in Trinidad and Tobago and across the Caribbean.
🔗 Visit UNCTAD’s website for full reports and future updates.
https://unctad.org/news/competition-and-consumer-protection-key-moves-watch-next-five-years
Contact CAIR today.
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