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The Consumer Protection Agency celebrated on Tuesday 17th
March 2009 The World Consumer Rights Day under the
sponsorship of H.E. Rachid Mohamed Rachid, Minister of Trade
and Industry. Consumer Protection Agency launched on that
day a campaign to raise awareness of the consumers by
identifying the consumer rights and responsibilities,
identifying the work the consumer protection agency does and
the services it provides, identifying the consumer
protection system in Egypt which constitutes of governmental
and non governmental organizations .
This campaign had a showroom which included the Consumer
Protection Agency, Internal Commerce Control Authority,
Supply Policy Authority, Industrial Control Authority,
Standardization and Quality Authority and Consumer
Protection NGOs. The Chairman Mr. Saeed el Alfi and the
Executive Director Mr. Amr Faheem have conducted a series of
meetings with these different authorities.
Through this campaign, The Consumer Protection Agency aimed
to raise the awareness of the consumers about concept of
consumer protection in the different categories of civil
society and therefore most of attendants were
representatives of different NGOs, Student Unions, Research
Centers, Universities, numerous journalists and writers. The
Consumer Protection Agency discussed the efforts and work
plans in such a field in order to highlight the importance
of civil society contribution in spreading the culture of
consumer protection in the local societies where they
practice their activities.
Background on "World Consumer Rights Day"
World Consumer Rights Day is an annual occasion held on 15
March for celebration and solidarity within the
international consumer movement. It is also a time for
promoting the basic rights of all consumers and for
highlighting the market abuses and social injustices which
undermine consumer rights.
World Consumer Rights Day was first observed on 15 March
1983, and has since become an important occasion for
mobilizing citizen action. Consumer organizations around the
world use this day to generate local initiatives and media
coverage for their work over the coming year.
World Consumer Rights Day has its origins in President John
F. Kennedy’s Declaration to Congress on 15 March 1962, when
he stated: “Consumers by definition include us all. They are
the largest economic group, affecting and affected by almost
every public and private economic decision. Yet they are the
only important group… whose views are often not heard.”
Kennedy went on to outline four basic consumer rights:
o the right to safety
o the right to be informed
o the right to choose
o the right to be heard
To these four basic rights declared by President Kennedy,
Consumers International Consumers International (CI), the
world federation of consumer groups with over 220 member
organizations in 115 countries, added four more rights:
o the right to satisfaction of basic needs
o the right to redress
o the right to education
o the right to a healthy environment.
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