Consumers International
Consumers International ( CI ) is an independent, international non-profit organization for consumer protection with its headquarters in London . More than 200 consumer groups and consumer organizations from over 100 countries are members of Consumers International. The organization has coordinated World Consumer Day every year since 1983 .
history
The organization was founded on April 1, 1960 as the International Organization of Consumers Unions (IOCU) to strengthen consumer protection. The organization began to grow rapidly and established itself as an important voice in the international consumer movement. Her work focuses on product standards, food standards, health and patient rights , environmental protection and sustainability as well as the regulation of international trade and public supply.
The founding was initiated by Elizabeth Schadee, who later became chairman of the board of directors of the Dutch Consumentenbond , and Caspar Brook, who was the first director of Which? was in the UK. The two proposed an international conference in order to improve the cooperation of the consumer organizations active in comparative product testing. The Consumers Union from the United States of America supported this project financially. In January 1960 these three organizations held the First International Conference on Consumer Testing in The Hague , at which 34 representatives from fourteen countries were present to discuss joint product tests and the establishment of the international organization. The Belgian and Australian consumer associations joined the three national organizations mentioned as founding members and appointed representatives for the first administrative board.
Members
The organization now supports and represents over 220 member organizations in 115 countries around the world. About two thirds of the member organizations come from developing countries . For example, some members are the following organizations:
- European Consumer Association , Brussels
- International Consumer Research & Testing , London
- Stiftung Warentest , Berlin
- Federal Association of Consumers , Berlin
- Association for Consumer Information , Vienna
Offices
The organization has five offices worldwide:
- Consumers International Global Office, London
- Consumers International Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
- Consumers International Office for Africa
- Consumers International Office for Asia Pacific and the Middle East
- Consumers International Middle East Hub Office
Personalities
The following people contributed to the organization:
- Michel Chossudovsky , author
- Eva Lachkovics , Head of Health Action International (HAI) Information Center in the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
- Gerd Leipold , consultant
literature
- Foo Gaik Sim: IOCU on record: a documentary history of the International Organization of Consumers Unions, 1960-1990 . Consumers Union, Yonkers, NY 1991, ISBN 0890435316 .
Web links
- Official website (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Stephen Brobeck: Encyclopedia of the consumer movement . ABC-Clio, Santa Barbara, Calif. [u. a.] 1997, ISBN 0874369878 , pp. 175-179.
- ↑ Consumers International Membership Directory , accessed February 3, 2014
- ↑ Consumers International branch directory , accessed on February 3, 2014