YEAR IN REVIEW 1996: ECONOMIC-AFFAIRS

CONSUMER AFFAIRS Consumer concerns were significantly addressed in 1995 when the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) passed a landmark resolution calling for extensive revision and updating of the 1985 UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection. The guidelines, which covered consumer safety and product standards and education, provided both a framework and a benchmark for governments, particularly those in less developed countries, to establish a legal basis for consumer protection. The impact made by the guidelines could be seen in India, where a consumer forum was set up to resolve problems outside the legal system, and in Eastern Europe and the states of the former Soviet Union, where there was an explosion of activity in consumer affairs. The 10-year anniversary marking the establishment of the guidelines was celebrated on World Consumer Rights Day, held annually on March 15. The 1995 ECOSOC resolution was the most significant broadening of the guidelines in the past decade and was expected to lead to a sustainable level of consumption. The World Trade Organization (WTO), a court set up by the 1994 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to arbitrate international trade disputes, officially opened its doors on Jan. 1, 1995. The WTO, headed by Renato Ruggiero (see BIOGRAPHIES), had several cases in its docket, but none was heard during 1995. Consumers International (formerly the International Organization of Consumers Unions) launched a Consumer Charter for Global Business for transnational corporations. Those signing the charter would agree to abide by consumer-friendly standards in such areas as competition, advertising, and environmental impact. Most consumer activity in 1995 took place at the grassroots level and often against great odds. As democratic reforms and market liberalization spread in Africa, consumer movements also emerged, particularly in Western Africa. Yet Africa as a whole remained mired in deep economic crisis, which had taken its toll on humans through increased malnutrition, reduced social services, lowered incomes, and higher unemployment. The consumer movement--working with very limited resources--was swamped with issues needing urgent attention. Fewer than 10 African countries had organizations with permanent offices and staffing, and 21 had no identified consumer groups at all. Most of the offices were operating at capacity and were working to open new centres to handle the high volume of consumer complaints. Attempts also were made to assess the impact of economic structural adjustment programs on Africans. In January, 27 consumer leaders from 17 West and Central African countries attended a conference on the subject. The African Office of Consumers International was studying the state of consumer protection legislation in Africa and was in the process of drafting a model consumer protection law, which was expected to be completed by year's end. Eastern Europe also was struggling to build a consumer movement virtually from ground zero. Six years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, nearly every country in Eastern and Central Europe had formed some type of consumer organization. Macedonia, Armenia, and Georgia joined the group in 1995. Most countries in Central and Eastern Europe instituted, at the minimum, basic consumer protection laws and, with an eye toward joining the European Union (EU) by the end of the century, many were working hard to bring their laws in line with those of Western Europe. As a sign of how rapidly times were changing, Albania was hoping to have a consumer protection law in place in 1996. Overall, a major concern was to educate consumers who had little experience with savings and investment so they could make wise investments with their earnings. Newspapers reported numerous scandals in Eastern and Central Europe and the republics of the former Soviet Union, where fraudulent and incompetent banks and financial service companies were operating. Western Europeans faced different problems, many of them related to the EU, which included 15 members after Sweden, Finland, and Austria were admitted in 1995. (Norway rejected membership.) The single market--the world's largest trading bloc--was intended to remove all trade barriers across member countries. Consumer groups, however, continued to confront the European Commission (EC) in areas they felt--despite promises of trade liberalization--continued to hurt consumers. (For example, automobile distributors were still excluded from EC competition rules and could maintain monopolies across Europe.) In 1995, however, consumer groups scored a victory by persuading the EC to allow competing car manufacturers to advertise where monopolies existed. Consumer organizations lobbied the EC regarding pending legislation about after-sales services and guarantees. Consumer representatives argued that in a single market, guarantees should be honoured across borders--guarantees on goods bought in France should be honoured in Spain, and services on products purchased in Germany should be available in the United Kingdom. In Latin America, improving economies and expanding trade signaled an end to a long period of economic isolation and recession. Yet very few benefits appeared to be trickling down to the 165 million Latin Americans classified as poor--80 million of whom were living in dire poverty, according to the World Bank. An estimated 19% of Latin Americans lacked access to clean drinking water, while 32% had no electricity and 43% were without drainage or sanitary services. Low-income consumers were especially vulnerable to hazardous or substandard products and such abusive practices as false advertising and adulterated weights and measures. Nonetheless, consumers fought back; 16 Latin-American countries established national consumer protection laws. In 1995 the governments of Argentina and Colombia added consumer protection to their respective constitutions. In November, with the help of a manual published by Consumers International, more than 100 organizations involved in adult education planned to introduce consumer education into their curriculum. In Asia the consumer scene was characterized by glaring contrasts both within the region and within individual countries. Though foreign investment poured into the area, Asia's booming growth produced greater economic disparity; millions of impoverished consumers were confronted by higher prices, unregulated markets, and an influx of substandard imported goods. As a result, more than 60 consumer representatives from Malaysia, India, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam attended a conference in Malaysia to discuss "Consumerism in Developing Economies: Agenda for the Future." In the South Pacific, consumers banded together to halt the dumping of both toxic wastes and poor-quality food. Since 1992 Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands had passed consumer protection laws, and Western Samoa and Tonga were expected to follow suit by the end of 1995. (ALINA TUGEND)