UNDP in Ukraine

The Consumer Society and Citizen Networks project (CSCN) is a joint initiative of the European Union and UNDP in Ukraine. It started in 2006. Its goal is to increase civil society role in sound economic governance in Ukraine in line with the European standards. Specifically CSCN aims at promoting access of citizens to information on product safety, consumer rights protection, and to results of independent testing, as well as promoting wide public discussion on challenges facing the consumer society in Ukraine.

What is the situation?

Consumers lack reliable and timely information, unaware of existing institutional mechanisms for their rights protection. Only 5% of Ukrainian consumers are ready to actively seek protection of their rights by challenging manufacturers, sellers, or state bodies for providing them with products or services of insufficient quality. As a result, the Ukrainian market is full of unsafe and low quality goods and services. Increasing consumer awareness is the only way to create in Ukraine an effective system of distributing information on product safety and consumer rights protection.

What is our mission?

Active participation of citizens in the economic life of the country is a prerequisite for stable development of its economy. Well-informed consumers choose quality goods and services that weeds unscrupulous businesses out of the market.

The project’s goal is to enhance civil society role in sound economic governance in Ukraine in line with the European standards. Specifically CSCN aims at promoting access of citizens to information on product safety, consumer rights protection, and to results of independent testing, as well as promoting wide public discussion on challenges facing the consumer society in Ukraine. The project will achieve this by contributing to emergence in Ukraine of a knowledgeable consumer.

What we do?

CSCN works in four interrelated spheres: (1) knowledge transfer, spreading European practices of independent testing and product safety awareness; (2) providing citizens with access to consumer / economic empowerment information; (3) access to consumer education; and (4) capacity building of the judiciary:

Knowledge transfer: The project promotes twinning between European and Ukrainian civil society organizations to help Ukrainian consumer CSOs benefit from experience of their European counterparts; develops and tests methodologies for consumer satisfaction measurement that are common in Europe; promotes transfer to Ukraine of European independent testing practices. Besides, the project actively discusses consumer-friendly business practices, designs and runs surveys on a wide range of consumer-related issues and shares their results with Ukrainian civil society and relevant public agencies.

Improved access to consumer information: The project maintains the Consumer Portal, one of the most authoritative sources of consumer information in the Ukrainian Internet to provide Ukrainian consumer with up-to-date information on quality and safety of goods and services available on the Ukrainian market, give practical consumer advice, and disseminate information about organizations, both state and non-governmental, where consumers can go for help. CSCN also runs a nationwide consumer awareness campaign, fuels public debate on food safety and nutrition, holds monthly seminars for journalists, publishes and disseminates brochures and leaflets on various consumer issues. In addition, the project develops a mission and strategy for a consumer information centre.

Development of consumer education: The project, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education of Ukraine, has successfully developed concepts of consumer education for secondary schools and Universities. The project works on detailed syllabus for consumer education courses and on making them part of regular curricula. Besides, CSCN plans holding trainings for trainers to make consumer education more readily available to younger Ukrainians.

Capacity buidling of the judiciary: The project develops a tip library and guidebook covering class actions and facilitates information exchange between lawyers working for consumer civil society organizations; analyses, consolidates and disseminates information on court practices related to consumer cases; prepares and disseminates brochures on best consumer advocacy practices; develops a handbook for judges hearing and ruling consumer cases.

How Ukraine will Benefit?

Improved dissemination of information on goods and services available on the Ukrainian market as well as on consumer rights and institutional mechanisms for their protection will boost consumer awareness of citizens getting Ukraine closer to the European standards. The project will contribute to emerging in Ukraine of a knowledgeable consumer able to make informed choices based on information on quality and safety of goods and services and actively seek protection of their rights which in turn will contribute to development of civil society in Ukraine.

Our partners

• Ministry of Economy of Ukraine
• State Committee for Technical Regulation and Consumer Policy
• Non-governmental consumer organizations
• Civil society organizations
• Individual citizens