Marking the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection by the UN General Assembly, this session will reflect on their enduring impact in shaping consumer policies worldwide. Experts and policymakers will discuss how the Guidelines have guided countries in fostering fair, inclusive, and sustainable consumer protection frameworks.
The session will explore emerging challenges, including digital transformation, environmental sustainability, and consumer vulnerabilities, and highlight best practices for ensuring consumer rights remain at the heart of economic policies.
Join us to examine the future of consumer protection in an evolving global marketplace and reaffirm the Guidelines’ role in advancing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
This event is part of Consumers International Sustainable Lifestyles Summit 2025, 10-14 March 2024. The Summit will bring together leaders for joint commitments, insights and collaboration to help meet global goals and support us all to live sustainably.
Background:
Consumer protection is a fundamental pillar of sustainable and fair markets, ensuring that consumers are empowered, informed, and safeguarded from unfair practices. The United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection (UNGCP), adopted in 1985 and revised in 1999 and 2015, serve as a global blueprint for countries in developing and strengthening consumer protection laws and policies. UNCTAD, as the focal point for consumer protection within the UN system, plays a key role in promoting the implementation of these guidelines, supporting countries in designing and implementing effective consumer policies.
As the world faces new challenges—digital transformation, climate change, and socio-economic inequalities—consumer protection policies must evolve to ensure inclusivity and sustainability. This event marks 40 years of the UNGCP, providing a platform to reflect on progress, identify gaps, and discuss the way forward in aligning consumer protection with sustainable development goals.
Purpose of the event:
The event will take stock of the impact of the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection and explore ways to enhance their implementation in a rapidly changing global landscape.
Key focus areas:
Assessing the impact of UNGCP on national consumer policies over the past 40 years
Identifying gaps and opportunities to strengthen consumer protection frameworks
Exploring the link between consumer protection, sustainable consumption, and inclusive economic growth
Target audience:
- Government officials and policymakers
- Consumer protection authorities and regulators
- Academia and researchers in consumer law and policy
- Civil society organizations and consumer advocacy groups
- Private sector representatives engaged in fair business practices
Expected Outcomes:
By the end of the session, participants will:
- Gain a deeper understanding of the role and relevance of the UN Guidelines in shaping consumer policies
- Recognize the importance of consumer protection in promoting sustainable consumption and fair market practices
- Identify best practices and challenges in the implementation of UNGCP at national and regional levels
- Foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among consumer protection stakeholders
Speakers:
- Carla Barata, Director General for Consumer Protection, Portugal
- Eunice Phiri Hamavhwa, Acting Executive Director, Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Zambia
- Carmen Ligia Valderrama, Professor, Externado University
- Shirish Deshpande, Chairman, MGP-India
- Laura Best, Oxford University
Carla Barata is currently the Director-General of Portugal's Directorate-General for Consumers, the Portuguese public administration body whose mission is to define and implement consumer protection policy, aiming for a high level of consumer protection.
With more than 30 years' experience in the field of consumer protection, Carla Barata was until August 2024 the Director of the International Relations Department of the Directorate-General for Consumers and represents that body in various European and international organizations.
Eunice is a female aged 53 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economist from the University of Zambia; a Post graduate Diploma in Economics for Competition Law from King’s College London, in London; and a Post graduate Diploma in Management Practice specialising in Trade Law and Policy from the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town in South Africa. She is a Certified Digital Finance Practitioner, certified by the Digital Frontiers Institute of Cape Town in South African and the Fletcher School at Tufts University. Eunice has 8 years work experience in retail banking having worked for Standard Chartered Bank Zambia Plc; and over 22 years experience in competition law and policy. Eunice is currently working as Acting Executive Director at the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission in Zambia. She worked as an Economist in the department of Mergers and Acquisition for three years, and later in the Department of Consumer Protection for 19 years.
Carmen Ligia Valderrama Rojas is a Lawyer from Universidad Externado de Colombia. Specialist in Business Law from Universidad Externado de Colombia. Master’s degree in Business Law from the Centro Europeo de Estudios y Formación Empresarial Garriguez & Andersen, Madrid-Spain. Postgraduate course "Management of the Market Product Security Surveillance System". School of Administration of the Pompeu Fabra University of Barcelona, the Catalan Consumer Agency, the Organization of American States and the Pan-American Health Organization. Washington.
She was Head of the Legal Office, General Secretary, Advisor to the Superintendent, Delegated Superintendent for Industrial Property (e), Delegated Superintendent for Consumer Protection and Superintendent of Industry and Trade (e), Superintendent of Industry and Trade, Superintendent of Transport and currently serves as Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport.
Laura is active internationally in research, policy advocacy and ideation with a focus on sustainability and consumer protection, within a one planet conceptualization. She honed this expertise by serving as an adjudicative member of the National Consumer Tribunal [South Africa]. Particular interests are gender inclusion and indigenous consumer redress systems. She is active in higher education, the non-profit sector, women’s empowerment, gender transformation and mentorship. She has a PhD in Business Management.
Teresa Moreira is the Head of the Competition and Consumer Policies Branch, Division on International Trade and Commodities at UNCTAD. She joined UNCTAD in 2016 and previously served as the Consumer Director-General of Portugal and as a Member of the Board of the Portuguese Competition Authority when it was first created. She also served as Portugal’s Director-General and Deputy Director General for International Economic Relations and held senior positions at the Directorate-General for Competition.
Teresa worked for over 20 years as a Teaching Assistant at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon in the areas of International Economic Law and European Law, as well as European Competition Law and European Economic Law at the graduate level.
Teresa holds a degree in Law and a master’s degree in European Law (European Competition Law) from the University of Lisbon, Portugal.
Arnau Izaguerri Vila is an Economic Affairs Officer at the Competition and Consumer Policies Branch of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. He is project officer for the UNCTAD DODR project on Delivering digital trading infrastructure and online dispute resolution for consumers as means to improve international trade and electronic commerce, targeting Indonesia and Thailand. He was previously responsible for the implementation of the UNCTAD MENA Programme for regional integration through competition and consumer protection policies for the Middle East and North Africa region and for the COMPAL Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean, before that. He was also responsible for the intergovernmental negotiations leading to the revision of the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer protection and currently serves as secretariat to UNCTAD's Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy.
Mr Izaguerri holds a degree and master's in law by the ESADE Law & Business School, Ramóm Llull University in Barcelona. He is also master in lnternational Law suma cum laude by the Graduate Institute in Geneva. He has experience in private law practice and well as the World Trade Organization, the Ministry for the Economy and Finance of France, the National Institute for the Defense of Free Competition and the Protection of Intellectual Property of Peru and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Andorra. His various publications are related to public international law, international trade law, and consumer protection.
