Consumer organisations come together for World Consumer Rights Day 2017

22 March 2017

On March 15, 134 consumer organisations in 92 countries came together to celebrate World Consumer Rights Day and call for a Better Digital World that consumers can trust.

Global consumer movement present Better Digital World recommendations to G20 presidency


The Better Digital World campaign raised awareness around some of the most pressing consumer concerns arising from the rapid growth of the digital economy in recent years.

This year, the World Consumer Rights Day theme generated significant coverage on social and traditional media platforms, with the #BetterDigitalWorld campaign reaching 9.2 million people and being reported on by international news agencies across the globe.

From data protection and online safety to affordable internet access, Consumers International’s members carried out campaigns on the issues that were relevant to consumers in their own national markets. More information on each campaign can be accessed via the World Consumer Rights Day 2017 map.

G20 Consumer Summit

The 15th March was also marked by the G20 Consumer Summit in Berlin, Germany, which Consumers International co-hosted with the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV) and German member, the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (VZBV).

The event brought together consumer organisations, governments, businesses and other key stakeholders to set the agenda for ‘Building a Digital World Consumers can Trust’.

At the summit, Consumers International and VZBV unveiled a set of ten recommendations developed with all our members.  The recommendations outline the importance of consumer confidence and trust to the success of the digital economy and set out ten areas of action for G20 governments.

Consumers International and VZBV called on participants to show their support for the recommendations which will be formally presented to the G20 Digital Ministers summit on the 7th April.

You can read the recommendations here

Our View

“Creating a better digital world is a task for all of us - consumers should trust their instincts and articulate what kind of digital world they want for themselves and their children. Businesses should trust their relationships with people and make a stand to behave more responsibly and respond to people’s concerns. Governments should trust their citizens to be able to recognise what is fair and right online and find ways to help them get it.”

Amanda Long, Director General, Consumers International