Moscow, Russian Federation

Published: 8 October 2026

[Video message]

Ms. Popova, Excellencies, distinguished participants,

I am glad to send this message to the International Conference on Consumer Rights Protection in the Digital Era.

At its core, consumer protection is about a simple promise: that what you buy is safe, that the price is fair, and that someone is always accountable. The digital economy has made that promise more important to keep.

I want to make two points. One about why digital markets need stronger consumer safeguards. And one about how we build them.

Global e-commerce reached 28 trillion dollars in 2024. Millions now buy across borders, from sellers they will never meet, on platforms whose algorithms shape everything they see. AI adds another layer: it can help businesses serve consumers better and help authorities detect fraud faster – but it can also make bad commercial practices more invisible.

When consumers cannot see how decisions are made, trust erodes. And when trust erodes, markets shrink.

This brings me to my second point: consumer protection itself must go digital.

Some countries are already showing the way. The Russian Federation's digital product-circulation monitoring system tracks goods across supply chains, flags counterfeits before they reach shelves, and gives authorities the data to act early rather than respond late. This shift – from reacting to harm to preventing it – is the direction consumer policy must take.

And digital markets cross borders, so the response must follow. No single authority can protect consumers alone when a transaction starts in one country, passes through a platform in another, and delivers a product from a third. Practical cooperation – exchanging information, sharing tools, coordinating enforcement – is essential.

This is central to the work of UN Trade and Development. Through our Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection, we bring countries together to turn international principles into practical action.

Excellencies,

Technology should serve people, and markets should serve consumers. This conference advances that goal, and UN Trade and Development is ready for the work ahead.

I wish you a very productive conference. Thank you.