President Maithripala Sirisena and Minister Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen are scheduled to unveil the first consumer oriented national social media platform by the country’s apex safeguard agency, the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) this afternoon at Nelum Pokuna during the Colombo celebrations of 34th WCRD.

At today’s event, many academics from leading local universities will be making presentations on social media, development of consumer rights, e-Laws and policies for Digital Age, along with an awards presentation for winners of CAA Twitter Competition. Consumers International’s Regional Project Officer for Asia and Pacific Satya Sharma is scheduled to make a special presentation on regional and global consumer trends and developments in the digital age.

According to Consumers International, WCRD is an opportunity to promote the basic rights of all consumers, for demanding that those rights are respected and protected, and for protesting the market abuses and social injustices which undermine them. The theme of this year’s WCRD is 'Building a Digital World Consumers can Trust.'

The World Consumer Rights Day was initiated as a result of US President John F. Kennedy’s speech to US Congress on Consumer Rights, delivered on 15 March 1962. Since then, 15 March is considered the “World Consumer Rights Day.”

The first WCRD was observed in 1983.