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New report highlights much needed action on tobacco treaty
Monday, 15 November 2010 15:11
By Kemo ChamGlobal efforts to stem the menacing impact of tobacco use is lagging, according to a new report coinciding with the opening of the Forth Conference of the Parties to the Frame Work Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
The report, Tobacco Watch: Monitoring Countries’ Performance on the Global Treaty, released today by the Framework Convention Alliance, also indicates some strong progress in some countries. It focuses on a few key tobacco control measures required under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco
Control, the world’s first public health treaty. It is a coalition of over 350 nongovernmental organizations from over 100 countries.The author of this report, the Frame Work Convention Alliance (FCA), is a key player in global effort to combat the ever growing influence of the tobacco industry and its impact on global health.
“There are reasons to be both concerned and optimistic for the future of the FCTC,” said Laurent Huber, Director of FCA.
“On the plus side, we have seen many countries banning smoking in public places and mandating graphic health warnings on tobacco packages. At the same time, the number of Parties that have failed to implement key treaty provisions shows a general lack of resources dedicated to tobacco control, even among developed countries that should have resources available.”
The Uruguayan resort of Punta del Este is hosting the COP 4, which commenced today. The FCTC, adopted in 2004, now has 172 Parties, representing over 87% of the world’s population. The treaty includes measures to reduce tobacco consumption and supply, as well as international cooperation in combating tobacco smuggling and cross-border advertising.
Tobacco Watch shadows the treaty’s official reporting structure, in which governments periodically report to the WHO on their implementation of FCTC measures. Information from Tobacco Watch is used to applaud successes, highlight failures, and press for stronger tobacco control measures in all countries.
Tobacco is the world’s leading cause of premature death, according to the WHO, killing more people each year than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. The world’s health body says without dramatic action, tobacco related diseases will kill one billion people this century, mostly in developing countries.
This latest Tobacco Watch report presents an unexpected finding which is causing particular concern among tobacco control advocates. Of the 49 Parties covered in it, representing the first countries to ratify the FCTC, only 7 submitted their official implementation reports to the Treaty Secretariat on time (deadlines ranged from February 27 to March 31, 2010). By the time the report went to print at the end of September, 20 Parties had still failed to turn in reports.
Another important finding of the report is that many countries have failed to meet the five-year deadline under the FCTC to institute bans on tobacco marketing. Less than two-thirds of the Parties covered indicated that they had passed such a ban, and none have implemented all of the recommendations under the guidelines adopted by the Conference of the Parties.
However, on the bright side of the report, there are several countries that have required large, graphic warning labels on cigarette packages, in particular Uruguay, where warnings occupy 80% of the front and back of packages. Other countries which require that warnings cover an average of at least 50% of the front and back of cigarette packs include Ghana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Cook Islands, , New Zealand, Panama, Singapore, Thailand and Turkey.
A number of countries have also banned smoking in virtually all public indoor areas, including New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Qatar, Solomon Islands, Syria, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Uruguay. Strong local or state bans are in place for the majority of the populations of Australia, Canada, Germany, Mexico and Vietnam.
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