UNCTAD 16 Parallel event: Safe products for all consumers

Dear Ana Isabel Xavier, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Portugal,

Estimada Cielo Elainne Rusinque Urrego, Superintendente de Industria y Comercio de Colombia,

Dear Hardin Ratshisusu, Acting Commissioner at the National Consumer Commission of South Africa,

Dear Pinuccia Contino, Deputy to the Director for Consumers, Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers of the European Commission

Dear Helena Leurent, Director General of Consumers International,

Excellencies, distinguished guests,

It is my pleasure to welcome you to this important dialogue on consumer product safety. It is a topic that affects us all, every day, across all continents.  

At its core, product safety is about trust — trust that what we buy will not harm us or our families, and trust that markets protect and not endanger people.

To this day, the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection remain the only globally agreed instrument on this issue. They affirm a simple yet powerful principle: Every consumer has the right to access safe, non-hazardous products.

But both the trust in and right to safe products are still put to the test.

Despite decades of progress on consumer protection, significant challenges persist. Millions of unsafe products still reach consumers every year. They can cause preventable harm, weaken public trust, and impose significant economic costs.

Globalization and digitalization have further amplified these risks. According to a recent OECD review, 87 per cent of recalled or banned products are still available online, often slipping through national enforcement controls.

The consequences are not abstract. They can affect any of us. For example, a substandard charger can pose a serious fire hazard anywhere.

It is particularly concerning that these risks disproportionately affect developing countries, where regulators often face limited resources and large informal markets.

It is striking that, according to UNCTAD data, 44 per cent of Member States still do not have sufficient legal frameworks in place to guarantee product safety to their societies.

Moreover, unsafe products are not only a public health issue—they also represent a development challenge. They contribute to pollution, waste valuable resources, and undermine progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals on health and responsible consumption.

We cannot remain passive in the face of these challenges.

I am encouraged that the 9th UN Conference on Competition and Consumer Protection, held last July at UNCTAD, created a real momentum for change. Member states adopted the draft United Nations Principles for Consumer Product Safety, which are now before the UN General Assembly for consideration.

These principles call for stronger regulation, real-time risk detection, effective recall mechanisms, transparent information, and—most importantly—international cooperation.

Indeed, we can only achieve progress through collaboration. A dangerous product sold in one country can reappear online halfway across the world the next day. Only by sharing alerts, harmonizing standards, and working together can we make product safety a truly global public good.

With our convening power, UNCTAD can bring together governments, civil society, and business to build a coherent, cooperative global framework for safer products. UNCTAD stands ready to drive and support these processes, foster cooperation and advance product safety worldwide. That is also why this topic needed a dedicated space in the Conference programme and is accompanied by an exhibition.

Excellencies,
Today’s dialogue is a chance to turn principles into practice—to learn from each other’s experiences and to shape a safer marketplace for all. Your ideas and experiences will not only inform the UNCTAD agenda, but also shape the future of product safety at the United Nations and beyond.

Product safety must not be a privilege for the few—it is a fundamental right for all. Together, we can build the cooperation and accountability needed to make that right a reality.

Thank you.