Representatives of the Macao Consumer Council attended Consumers International Global Congress 2023 in Kenya and participated in meetings and panel discussions during the Congress.

The Consumers International Global Congress 2023 took place in Nairobi, Kenya, from 6 to 8 December. Consumers International hosted the Congress with supporting partners, including the Government of Kenya, through the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK), and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Competition Commission. Mr. Rigathi Gachagua, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, Mr. Adano Roba, Acting Director-General of Competition Authority of Kenya, Mr. Willard Mwemba, Director and Chief Executive Officer of COMESA Competition Commission, representatives from governments and consumer organizations worldwide, as well as from businesses and civil societies attended the Congress. Ms. Leong Pek San, President of the Macao Consumer Council represented the Council and executed her voting rights.

The main theme of the Congress is “Building a resilient future for consumers”, other topics featured included “Making a sustainable lifestyle the norm”, “Consumer empowerment and protection - a catalytic solution to a clean energy future”, “Driving a fair compact in the digital economy”, “How consumer rights can benefit the G20”, “Redefining consumer journey’s in mobile money”, “Scams, fraud and fake reviews: Building trust in the digital economy” and “The impact of generative AI on consumers”. Consumer education work related to the abovementioned topics will be carried out in the future by the Council to ensure that consumer protection is up to date.

The Consumers International Global Congress is held every four years. New policies on global consumer protection are laid out in each congress, a new president and executive members are also elected. Mr. Marimuthu Nadason, President of the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) was elected President at the Consumers International General Assembly this time. Ms. Leong Pek San, President of the Macao Consumer Council, also met with Mr. Marimuthu Nadason to discuss on the possibility of signing a cooperation agreement, aiming to strengthen the work on consumer protection and for the set-up of joint cooperation to safeguard consumer rights of citizens in both regions.

Consumers International was founded in 1960. It is a global, non-profit organization with over 200 member organizations in more than 100 countries and regions. Macao Consumer Council became a full member of Consumers International in 1997 and can exercise its right to vote on matters at the Consumers International General Assembly and elect the President.