CI welcomes Mexico's Alconsumidor as one of our newest members. A non-profit organisation founded in 2006, they focus on  informing, assisting and empowering consumers of telecommunications, energy and financial services in Mexico.

Alconsumidor works to increase consumers' access to justice through collective action and to discourage abuse and unfair practices with regard to consumers' health and safety and the economy.

Their work has brought about constitutional and legal reforms in Mexico, including a class action system to process consumer, competition and environmental claims.

Alconsumidor provides legal aid for consumers and is currently trying to establish a public interest law organisation to advise consumers who are unable to afford the services of a lawyer.

Reform of the financial system is also part of Alconsumidor's remit and, as part of its strategy to put consumer protection on the G20 agenda, the organisation has joined CI.

"In a global economy in which suppliers have a disproportionate amount of power, consumer organisations must unite to gain strength and visibility," says Adriana Labardini, CEO of Alconsumidor. "At a time when the financial crisis impacted globally and consumers are the ones paying the actual costs with no hope of bail-out, the only avenue that makes sense for us is joining Consumers International to both contribute to its global effort towards fair, safe and competitive financial services and learn and benefit from its experience, knowledge and credibility worldwide."

This year, Alconsumidor has worked with CI and the G20 Mexican presidency team to emphasise the importance of safe financial products, making sure that consumer protection guidelines as drafted by CI are embraced by the OECD task force and that the new FinCoNet group of national ombudsmen listens to international consumer organisations.

On the telecommunication front, Alconsumidor has collaborated in the drafting of a national standard for telecomm services contracts which has been approved by the Standarisation Committee on which Alconsumidor sits and votes. The organisation is also launching a project to regulate roaming charges domestically and internationally.

"It is a pleasure and an honour to welcome Alconsumidor to the global consumer rights movement," says CI Director General Helen McCallum. "They have been an invaluable asset to our continued lobbying of the G20 and I look forward to working with them further. National organisations are the strength behind CI, and we hope that by joining CI, Alconsumidor is able to take advantage of our fantastic network of like-minded organisations around the world."