[Intl-tobacco] FCTC Comments due by THIS FRIDAY (9/27)!

[Robert Weissman]

From: Anna White <awhite@essential.org>


*** please forward widely ***

Dear Friends

On Friday, GPTC participant Shelley Courington had the opportunity to
speak at the public hearing on the FCTC in Nashville, TN.  She reports
that "it was an incredible experience.  I hope many will send in written
statements as the panel promised to read each one and take the opinions
to heart when they begin negotiations." Again, we have made it very easy
to submit comments. Just click on the link below and tell the U.S.
delegation how you feel!

     http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=usdhhs0209

The deadline for comments is this Friday 9/27 - so don't delay, send an
email TODAY!

Thanks to all of you who have already submitted comments. For more
information about the public hearing on Friday, see the press releases
below.

Anna
Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control
Essential Action
http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco


PRESS RELEASES
1. US Delegation to Hold Hearing on Tobacco Treaty in Nashville -
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (9/18)
2. Tennessee Public Health Advocates Testify At Public Forum On Global
TobaccoControl Treaty - Campaign for a Healthy and Responsible
Tennessee  (9/20)
3. Activists Urge U.S. to Prioritize Health Over Profit at Hearing on
Global Tobacco Treaty - Infact (9/20)

####

US Delegation to Hold Hearing on Tobacco Treaty in Nashville
U.S. Newswire
18 Sep 8:00
U.S. Delegation to Hold Public Hearing Friday in Nashville on Proposed
Tobacco Treaty; Health Advocates Will Hold Press Briefing
To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor
Contact: Nicole Dueffert of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids,
202-296-5469

News Advisory:

Carol Browner, former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and representatives from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
and American Lung Association will hold a press briefing at 10 a.m.
Friday, September 20, in Nashville on the proposed tobacco treaty
currently being negotiated by the world´s nations. The briefing will be
held while the U.S. Delegation to the treaty negotiations hold a public
hearing to solicit input from interested groups and individuals. The
treaty is called the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Speakers at the briefing will discuss concerns about U.S. efforts at
previous negotiating sessions to weaken the treaty on critical issues
such as putting health before trade, prohibiting misleading terms such
as "light" and "low-tar", and allowing countries to ban tobacco
advertising. The treaty also contains weak provisions on secondhand
smoke.

The next round of negotiations will be held October 14-25, 2002, in
Geneva, Switzerland. The treaty negotiations are scheduled to be
complete in May 2003, making the positions taken by the U.S. delegation
critical.

WHEN:
Friday, September 20, 2002 -- Press Briefing: 10 a.m.
Public Hearing begins at 9:15 a.m and is also open to the press.

WHERE:
Nashville Public Library
615 Church Street, Conference Room 1-B

WHO:
Carol Browner, Former EPA Administrator
Matt Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Bill Voigt, Chair-elect, American Lung Association

SOURCE: http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/prime/0918-106.html

***

Press Release

Tennessee Public Health Advocates Testify At Public Forum On Global
Tobacco-Control Treaty
CHART Executive Director Speaks at Event Hosted by Federal Government
Friday September 20, 12:52 pm ET


NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 20, 2002--Death and disease
caused by tobacco use are global problems that can best be addressed
through a global strategy, Campaign for a Healthy and Responsible
Tennessee (CHART) executive director Marianne Bouldin said today at a
public forum hosted by the federal government.

The forum at the downtown Public Library was held to hear testimony from
citizens in regard to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
(FCTC), an international treaty being developed by the 191 member states
of the World Health Assembly. The treaty could be signed by member
governments in 2003, and if so, would be the world´s first global
agreement devoted entirely to helping solve the problems created by
tobacco use.

"The problems we face in Tennessee are the same problems we see all over
the country and all over the world," said Bouldin. "Issues like teen
smoking, pervasive cigarette advertising, second-hand smoke, and
skyrocketing health care costs associated with smoking know no
boundaries. The FCTC gives us the opportunity to set the framework for
real change, and it is my hope that the United States will take a
leadership role."

The tobacco epidemic is an international problem - today, there are more
than 4 million deaths a year worldwide due to tobacco-related disease,
with the balance split between developed and developing countries. If
present trends continue, the figure will increase to 10 million deaths
per year by 2030, with 70 percent of these deaths taking place in
developing countries.

At the state level, Bouldin said she is encouraged by legislation passed
last year that increased Tennessee´s cigarette tax by 7 cents, the first
increase to the tax in its 33-year existence.

"We have a long way to go in Tennessee, but we do have some momentum
now," she said. "Every hour of every day of the year, another Tennessean
dies from a smoking-related illness. It´s a somber thought, but it´s all
the motivation we need to keep fighting for change. But even as we work
to improve the situation in Tennessee, we must also realize that we are
part of a larger movement. That´s why the FCTC is so important."

Founded in 1999, CHART is a cooperative effort of the American Cancer
Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, and more
than 30 other Tennessee health and community agencies.

CHART´s mission is to educate and motivate the public to make policy
change that will prevent and reduce tobacco use in order to improve the
quality of life for all Tennesseans.

For more information on the FCTC, visit www.fctc.org.

Contact:
     Campaign for a Healthy and Responsible Tennessee (CHART)
     Marianne Bouldin, 615/376-7053
     or
     McNeely Pigott & Fox
     Andrew Maraniss, 615/259-4000

SOURCE: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020920/202217_1.html

***

Activists Urge U.S. to Prioritize Health Over Profit at Hearing on
Global Tobacco Treaty

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The corporate accountability
organization Infact will urge the U.S. Government to prioritize public
health over Big Tobacco´s profits at an unusual public hearing on the
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), being held in Nashville
today. The FCTC, the world´s first public health treaty, is currently
being negotiated by more than 150 countries and is slated for adoption
in May 2003. Throughout the
negotiations, the US has been sharply criticized for espousing treaty
positions that benefit Philip Morris and other giant tobacco
corporations at the expense of public health. According to the World
Health Organization, four million people die every year from
tobacco-related illnesses.

    "To reverse the global tobacco epidemic, the Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control (FCTC) must hold tobacco transnationals accountable for
their abusive practices, including their global influence-peddling.
Recent corporate scandals from Enron to WorldCom have created a public
climate demanding our government to support stronger corporate
accountability measures. Our government needs to demonstrate that public
interest rather than corporate greed is shaping its positions on the
FCTC," says Infact Organizer Emily Berens, who is testifying today.

    Infact, along with members of the Network for Accountability of
Tobacco Transnationals spanning 50 countries, believe the FCTC must:

-- Prioritize public health in the event of conflict with trade and
other international agreements;
-- Ban all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship;
-- Protect public health policy from interference by tobacco
corporations;
-- Ensure that tobacco corporations can be held liable for harms to
people and the environment, while facilitating the ability of
individuals and governmental bodies to be compensated for the high costs
of tobacco; and,
-- Contain binding obligations with specific timelines, and penalties
for non-compliance, rather than voluntary measures.

    "Unfortunately, the US is not supporting any of these measures in
the FCTC-which creates the image that the US is protecting the corporate
interests of Philip Morris over public health. The weak positions of the
US on the FCTC are only adding to global outrage at our government for
failure to support other treaties, including the Kyoto Protocol," says
Berens.

    As negotiations on the FCTC reach their final stages, the tobacco
industry is expected to attempt to weaken these aspects of the treaty in
particular. Already, Philip Morris, Japan Tobacco and B.A.T have used
their political influence to water down and defeat public health policy
even in the wealthiest countries.

    Domestic legislation in the US requires the disclosure of lobbying
expenditures, names of lobbyists, and political contributions by all
corporations. "Our government has the potential to extend our commitment
to transparency and democratic principles to the global level, by
supporting strong surveillance and reporting measures in the FCTC. The
current draft of the FCTC calls on Parties to avoid interference by the
tobacco industry in setting and implementing public health policy. As
home to Philip Morris, the world´s largest and most profitable tobacco
corporation, the US has a particular responsibility to support these
measures," concludes Berens.

    Since 1977, Infact has been exposing life-threatening abuses of
transnational corporations and organizing successful grassroots
campaigns to hold corporations accountable to consumers and society at
large. From the Nestle Boycott of the 1970s and ´80s to the GE Boycott
of the 1980s and ´90s to today´s Boycott of Philip Morris´s Kraft Foods,
Infact organizes to win! This year Infact was admitted into Official
Relations with the World Health Organization (WHO). For more information
visit http://www.infact.org.

     Contact:
     David Lerner/Riptide Communications
     (212) 260-5000

SOURCE:
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-20

-2002/0001803607&EDATE=