Nuestro dinero, nuestros derechos

The consumer movement across Latin America will be mobilising on and around 15 March 2010 to highlight World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 2010. Here is a selection of the rich variety of activities that will be taking place across the region:

• Fundação de Proteção e Defesa do Consumidor do Estado de São Paulo (PROCON-SP), Brazil, will publish the results of new research into the financial services sector.

• Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios de Chile (ODECU), Chile, will be surveying consumers on their experiences of using financial services, and undertaking financial education activities on and around 15 March in different regions of Chile. ODECU are also officially launching a new and improved version of www.misdeudas.cl, a website dedicated to providing debt counselling to consumers. They will also launch a new 'Financial Education Guide', produced as part of a project with other organisations in the region and ADICAE, a CI member organisation in Spain.

• Centro para la Defensa del Consumidor (CDC), El Salvador, are planning to launch a new model law on insolvency.

• Asociación de Protección de los Consumidores del Mercosur (PROCONSUMER), Argentina will put up a stand to provide advice to consumers on financial services.

• Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor (IDEC), Brazil, will be publishing the results of a comparitive test of banks in their magazine. IDEC has also called on the country's Central Bank to improve regulation of the sector.

• Comité de Defensa de los Derechos del Consumidor (AIS-CODEDCO), Bolivia, held a conference in February on the 'Situation of consumers of financial services and banks in Bolivia', in collaboration with the Vice-Ministry for Consumer Protection, Authority for Supervision of the Finance System, Community for Human Rights in Bolivia and the Ombudsman of Bolivia.

• Movimiento Iniciativa del Consumidor (MIC), Venezuela are designing a WCRD poster and organising a forum at the College of Journalists on 15 March.

• Instituto Nacional de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor (PRO CONSUMIDOR), Dominican Republic have launched an annual calendar highlighting 'Our money, Our Rights'.

• Instituto Panameño de Derecho de Consumidores y Usuarios (IPADECU) and Unión Nacional de Consumidores y Usuarios de la República de Panamá (UNCUREPA) are planning joint activities in Panama. Eight episodes of their weekly radio show, 'Talking Consumer', will focus on financial services and consumer rights under the slogan 'Our Money, Our Rights'. The series programmes, culminating on 15 March, will analyse the Panamanian legal system in terms of consumer protection in relation to financial services.

• Associação Brasileira de Defesa do Consumidor (Pro Teste), Brazil, will be providing online consumer education services on financial services.