UNGCP: India Chairs UNCTAD Consumer Protection Experts Meet
Why in the news
UNCTAD invited India to preside over a global gathering of consumer-law experts at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The session was also the platform for formally launching a new set of UN consumer product safety principles.
Key facts
- Event: Ninth Session of the IGE on Consumer Protection Law and Policy, 6 to 8 July 2026.
- Organiser: UNCTAD; venue Palais des Nations, Geneva.
- Indian representative: Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs.
- Highlight: formal unveiling of the new UN consumer product safety principles, which the General Assembly adopted in December 2025.
- IGE role: main intergovernmental forum for global cooperation on consumer protection law.
UNGCP timeline
| Year | Development |
|---|---|
| 1985 | First adopted through UNGA Resolution 39/248 (16 April), after long campaigning by consumer groups |
| 1999 | Widened to include sustainable development principles |
| December 2015 | Major revision for digital markets and e-commerce |
About the UNGCP
- A broad, internationally agreed set of guidelines on consumer protection laws, enforcement bodies and redress systems.
- Non-binding soft law, yet the main global template for national consumer safety laws.
Main features
- Safety and recalls: standards, quick recall of faulty goods and compensation.
- Economic interests: guards against unfair contracts, misleading ads, fraud, predatory lending and food adulteration.
- Information and education: hazard labels, safety symbols, awareness drives.
- Digital provisions (2015): data privacy, online dispute resolution, secure payments, cross-border e-commerce safeguards.
- Sustainable consumption: energy-efficient and eco-friendly goods.
About UNCTAD
- Now United Nations Trade and Development; renamed in 2024.
- Set up in 1964 as a permanent body, headquartered in Geneva, with 195 member states.
- Secretary-General in 2026: Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, in office since 2021.
- Flagship reports: Trade and Development Report and World Investment Report; also offers a Consumer Protection Toolkit.
Exam angle
- Legal nature of UNGCP: non-binding soft law.
- Resolution number: 39/248.
- Chair of the ninth IGE session: India.