Control over Meta and Google, ensuring food security and technological transfer - the results of the meeting of antimonopoly agencies at the Russia-Africa summit
UNCTAD estimated in April 2022 that 60% of internet users shopped online following the start of COVID-19, compared to 53% in 2019. Top consumer-focused e-commerce platforms increased their sales value by 63% from 2019 to 2021.
Sitshengisiwe Ndlovu found her calling in supporting women small traders during her previous work as a customs officer in her native Zimbabwe. She met many women who made a living out of small-scale cross-border trade and came to understand their challenges first-hand. For example, they often lack knowledge in trade procedures and applicable duties and taxes, exposing them to fines and confiscation of goods. Such barriers, if left unaddressed, risk the survival of these micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
Ensuring responsible consumption and production patterns – as outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 – requires minimizing environmental impacts, enhancing resource efficiency and reducing waste. In this regard, experts point out that competition and consumer protection policies are uniquely placed to help.
Equitable access to water and energy is a basic human right, but there’s much more to do to make it a reality. To mark World Consumers Rights Day on 15 March, UNCTAD convened an expert meeting to explore how countries can better defend the rights of all consumers – particularly the most vulnerable – to these essential services.