March 15 is celebrated worldwide as World Consumer Rights Day, a date intended to highlight the importance of product safety and consumers’ right to quality goods and services. In 2026, the day was marked under the theme “Safe Products, Confident Consumers.”
Ahead of the date, on March 13, a thematic event was held at the National Library under the Executive Office of the President of Tajikistan, organized by the country’s Antimonopoly Service.
The discussion brought together representatives of government institutions, financial organizations, regulatory agencies, and civil society groups, including the Consumers’ Union of Tajikistan.
During the event, officials presented information on ongoing efforts to ensure product safety and strengthen consumer protection.
Representatives of the Tajikstandard Agency reported that inspections had resulted in the seizure of more than 1.2 million kilograms of expired and spoiled products. Authorities also carried out awareness campaigns with the help of media outlets and distributed about 5,000 informational leaflets explaining consumer rights.
Officials from the National Bank of Tajikistan outlined measures aimed at protecting consumers of financial services. More than 70 credit institutions currently operate in the country, and in 2025 new regulatory acts were adopted to strengthen mechanisms for protecting clients of financial institutions.
At the same time, Tajikistan continues to expand its cashless payment infrastructure, with more than 8,000 payment terminals and about 21,000 QR codes installed for payments.
The Consumers’ Union of Tajikistan also presented data on complaints received from citizens. Since the beginning of the year, the organization has handled cases related to utility services, purchases of household appliances, internet services, dry cleaning, clothing sales, and other service sectors. In several cases, formal complaints were prepared and consumers received legal assistance in defending their rights in court.
According to Ilhom Obidov, executive director of the Consumers Union of Tajikistan, consumer protection has become especially important as the digital economy grows.
“Today the market is changing rapidly. More and more purchases are made through the internet and social networks. This creates new opportunities for businesses but also new risks for consumers. Therefore, it is important to develop legislation and monitoring mechanisms to ensure the safety of goods and services in the online space as well,” he said.
Regulating E-commerce
According to international research, around 87% of unsafe products continue to be sold on online platforms even after they have been officially recalled.
The rapid growth of e-commerce makes it more difficult to monitor product safety, and consumers often remain unaware that certain goods have been declared unsafe.
Representatives of the Consumers’ Union of Tajikistan therefore stressed the need to further improve e-commerce regulation, including issues related to the responsibility of online platforms, sales through social networks, and mechanisms for removing dangerous products from the internet.
It was also noted that global online dialogues on product safety, organized by Consumers International, will take place on March 16, 2026. The discussions will bring together government representatives, experts, businesses, and consumer protection organizations from around the world.
World Consumer Rights Day remains an important platform for discussing market challenges and developing solutions aimed at creating a safer and fairer environment for consumers.
