[Intl-tobacco] FCTC Reactions
Robert Weissman
rob@essential.org
Tue, 11 Mar 2003 12:24:15 -0500
FCTC Reactions
1. American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung
Association and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
2. Infact
3. National Council Against Smoking
4. Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada Canadian Cancer Society Heart
and Stroke Foundation of Canada
5. WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi
6. travelretailworld.com (duty free sellers)
For Immediate Release
March 1, 2003 Contact: Nicole Dueffert 202.296.5469
Tobacco Treaty Has Great Potential To Reverse Global Tobacco Epidemic
Statement of the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association,
American Lung Association and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Washington, DC - The world=92s nations today have taken historic action
to contain and reverse the global tobacco epidemic by agreeing on an
international tobacco treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco
Control. The treaty is especially strong in requiring nations to adopt
two policies proven to reduce smoking and save lives: a comprehensive
ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, with an exception
for nations with constitutional constraints, and a requirement of large
health warning labels on cigarette packaging. While the treaty does not
require the adoption of other policies that it recommends, it does
provide nations with a roadmap for enacting strong, science-based
policies that can save lives and improve health. The key to the treaty=92s
success is whether individual nations now implement the strong measures
it contains. If they do so, we will be able to look back on today as a
turning point in reducing the terrible toll in health, lives and money
that tobacco use takes around the world.
The strengthening of the treaty in the past two weeks of negotiations
is a tribute to the courage and persistence of developing countries
that have resisted efforts by the United States to weaken the treaty.
The actions of the United States have been disappointing, especially
its persistent efforts to torpedo the advertising ban and warning label
requirements that are the strongest provisions of the treaty. To the
very end, the United States supported positions that protected the
interests of the tobacco industry rather than public health around the
world. The U.S. delegation continuously stood in the way of proposals
that included tough, enforceable provisions and pressured developing
countries that fought for a strong treaty. The treaty would have been
even stronger if not for the U.S. efforts.
Now that the treaty has been negotiated, we urge the United States not
to stand in the way of its effective implementation. The U.S. should
sign and ratify the treaty and implement those provisions that are
stronger than current U.S. law. U.S. international tobacco policy
should support effective implementation of the treaty in other nations.
It is especially critical that the U.S. reject tobacco industry efforts
to use international trade agreements to challenge other nations=92
tobacco control laws. The U.S. should also agree to exempt tobacco
products from future free trade agreements. By taking such actions, the
U.S. can begin to undo the tremendous harm it has done during the treaty
negotiations.
The World Health Organization estimates that there are 1.1 billion
smokers in the world today, a number expected to rise to 1.64 billion
by the year 2025. About four million people die each year from tobacco
use. If current trends continue, this figure will reach about 10
million per year by the early 2030s, with 70 percent of those deaths
occurring in developing countries.
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Press Release Source: Infact
Final Text of Global Tobacco Treaty Important Victory for Global Public
Health and Corporate Accountability
Monday March 3, 12:31 pm ET
Developing Countries Lead Way to Ban on Tobacco Advertising, Promotion,
and Sponsorship in Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
BOSTON, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Corporate Accountability activists are
hailing the final text of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
(FCTC) as a major step forward in the movement to reverse the global
tobacco epidemic. The final round of FCTC talks, which ended early
Saturday morning, resulted in a ban on tobacco advertising, promotion
and sponsorship, while making exceptions for countries with
constitutional constraints. Although developing countries did not
achieve all the gains they were pushing for and certain provisions will
need to be strengthened, Infact and members of the Network for
Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT) consider this an
important victory for global public health and corporate accountability.
"Aggressive promotional tactics like the Marlboro Man have driven the
global profits of tobacco transnationals. When adopted and entered into
force, this agreement will significantly reduce Philip Morris, BAT, and
Japan Tobacco's ability to spread addiction, disease and death around
the world. In the face of enormous pressure, developing countries have
led the way toward meaningful, effective measures," says Kathryn Mulvey,
Executive Director of Infact (US), a NATT member.
One of the central issues of the FCTC is how it will interact with
international trade and investment agreements. After long debate,
countries of Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Pacific Islands
and Caribbean managed to turn back the forces that wish to subordinate
the FCTC to other international agreements. Language included in the
preamble gives priority to Parties' right to protect public health,
giving interpretive guidance in case of a conflict between health
measures and trade agreements.
In another important step forward, the text includes measures that will
limit the political influence of the tobacco industry. In the face of
the economic and political clout of corporations like Philip Morris-with
$73 billion in annual revenues-many countries consider these provisions
critical to the implementation of the FCTC. One area where the text fell
short, is failing to include a clear statement of the tobacco industries
responsibility for harms caused by its products.
More than 170 countries negotiated the final text. The treaty is
scheduled to be adopted in May by the World Health Assembly. NATT
members are calling on all countries committed to public health to
remain on guard as the FCTC process moves ahead.
"The powerful forces that have attempted to obstruct this treaty all
along will remain active through this next phase and beyond. In order to
assure that the world's first public health treaty is adopted and
entered into force, we all must remain vigilant to the ongoing dirty
tricks of the tobacco industry and its powerful allies," concludes Mulvey.
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! In 2002 Infact was admitted into Official
Relations with the World Health Organization (WHO). For more information
visit www.infact.org.
URL: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030303/nem036_1.html
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MEDIA RELEASE
National Council Against Smoking Tel:(011) 643-2958 Fax: (011) 720-6177
For immediate issue Monday, 03 March 2003
Tobacco treaty triumph for developing countries & WHO.
The National Council Against Smoking (NCAS) welcomes the finalization of
a global anti-tobacco treaty on Saturday that could potentially save 10
million lives a year. The NCAS also congratulates the World Health
Organization (WHO) for successfully brokering its first-ever public
health treaty,
In the early hours of Saturday morning in Geneva, after four years of
difficult negotiations, representatives of more than 170 countries
agreed on the text of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. An
electronic "death clock' outside the negotiating hall showed that more
than 13.4 million people died of heart attacks, lung disease and cancers
linked to smoking since the talks began in 1999
The WHO has hailed the agreement as a ground-breakingmoment for public
health. ``Due to the actions that will follow.... millions and millions
of lives will be saved,' said Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, WHO
director-general.
The International Union Against Cancer (UICC) has likened the treaty to
being as important in eliminating lung cancer in this century, as the
sanitary laws of the 19th Century were in ridding the world of the
plague.
The treaty represents a victory for African, Asian, Caribbean, Eastern
Mediterranean and Pacific Island countries. They resisted the
stranglehold that countries which are home to the worlds giant tobacco
corporations (the U.S., Germany and Japan), tried to place on the treaty
and to weaken it.
Lower-income countries fought for the toughest possible laws. In an
impressive show of unity and solidarity they led the way to a treaty
founded on science and international best practice. The European Union,
meanwhile, was paralyzed with internal divisions, with Germany
effectively vetoing a progressive majority opinion within the Union.
For instance, while all states agreed that a comprehensive ban on
tobacco advertising, sponsorships and promotions would significantly
reduce tobacco consumption, the United States and Germany opposed a
complete ban, favouring mild restrictions instead. This despite the fact
that both WHO and the World Bank have concluded that restrictions on
tobacco advertising do not work because the industry simply shift its
colossal advertising budgets from the restricted to the unrestricted
media, allowing it to continue targeting advertising at children.
African nations, from Algeria to Zimbabwe, unanimously insisted that the
scientific evidence for banning advertising could not be ignored. The
final text requires parties to move towards a comprehensive ban within
five years of the convention entering into force. "Our duty was to
protect public health and this we did as the African Region," said
Advocate Patricia Lambert, the South African governments representative.
The draft treaty will be presented to health ministers at the World
Health Assembly in May. If accepted, it will then be open to the WHO's
192 member nations to sign and ratify it. The treaty officially goes
into effect in the countries where it has been approved, once 40
countries sign the treaty.
If adopted in its current form, the treaty would:
+ provide for international co-operation to fight against cigarette
smuggling; + ban the advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco
products, in countries where that would be constitutional; + require
higher taxes on tobacco products; + impose the disclosure of the
ingredients in cigarettes and warning labels that cover at least 30
percent of the package; + encourage the enactment of strict indoor air
laws; + promote help for those wanting to quit; and mobilize resources
to help grower countries in finding viable alternatives to tobacco
production.
South Africa has already adopted many of the measures proposed in the
treaty and has experienced significant declines in tobacco consumption
in the past decade. Since 1991, per capita cigarette consumption in
South Africa fell for 11 years in a row at an average annual rate of 5.7
per cent.
ends:
For further information contact: Dr Yussuf Saloojee, executive director
(011 643-2958).
Dr Saloojee represented the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) as
an observer at the negotiations.
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Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada Canadian Cancer Society Heart and
Stroke Foundation of Canada
Friday, February 28, 2003 New Global Tobacco Treaty Welcomed
Geneva, Switzerland Representatives of Canadian health agencies today
congratulated the World Health Organization and its member states for
the hard-fought culmination of negotiations towards the Framework
Convention and Tobacco Control (FCTC).
This treaty clearly represents an important global response to the
globalized problem of tobacco. said Neil Collishaw of Physicians for a
Smoke-Free Canada. It is the first health treaty in modern times, and
shows that a rules-based global system can include rules which advance
and support public health. Fittingly, the WHO chose tobacco, the world
s leading cause of preventable death, as the focus of the first public
health treaty in modern times.
The adoption of the treaty text came today at the end of 29 months and
six rounds of negotiation. The FCTC contains measures to ban or restrict
tobacco advertising, require large health warnings, ban misleading
descriptors, protect the public from second hand smoke, encourage
tobacco tax increases, control cigarette smuggling, and support smokers
who want to quit.Other measures include research collaboration and
support to developing countries in implementing effective tobacco
control measures.
The treaty will help countries put in place the comprehensive policy
measures which have been proven effective at reducing smoking, said
Elinor Wilson of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. By
establishing minimum standards in a number of areas, and encouraging
countries to go even further than their treaty commitments, it will
provide for continuing progress against this global public health
problem.
The non-governmental delegates noted the leadership that Canada has
taken in the development of this treaty. The Canadian presence during
these negotiations strengthened the treaty in at least two major ways,
observed Rob Cunningham of the Canadian Cancer Society. Firstly, Canada
has pioneered many of the measures which are included in the treaty for
adoption world-wide, such as picture health warnings. Secondly, the high
respect given to the Canadian delegation allowed it to be effective in
promoting stronger measures.
The treaty and global tobacco control will only get stronger,
predicted Cynthia Callard of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada. With
this treaty, developing countries now have a realistic chance of getting
the technical and financial help they need to implement strong domestic
tobacco control policies.
Through Health Canada and CIDA, the government of Canada supported the
participation of non-governmental organizations during FCTC
negotiations, including citizens from Canada and developing countries.
We return to Ottawa eager to discuss ways of accelerating the
ratification of and implementation of this treaty, said Elinor Wilson
of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
- 30
Rob Cunningham Canadian Cancer Society
Cynthia Callard Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada
Neil Collishaw Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada
Elinor Wilson Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
Manuel Arango Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
>From the WTO website: http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news03_e/sp_who_t=
obacco_agr_3march03_e.htm
3 March 2003 Director General Supachai Welcomes WHO Tobacco Agreement
--------
WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi welcomed today a public
health agreement to control the supply and consumption of tobacco which
was reached 1 March by the 171 World Health Organization member states.
The Framework Convention of Tobacco Control, the first international
agreement of its kind, will be endorsed by the WHO's annual assembly in May=
.
"I congratulate all of those who worked so hard to bring about this
important agreement, particularly WHO Director-General Gro Harlem
Brundtland. When dealing with the pressing problems of our age, whether
they relate to improving health standards or eradicating poverty, there
can be no doubt that the nations of the world must work together. A
multilateral approach to problem solving offers all of us the best hope
for a better world," said Director General Supachai.
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travelretailworld.com
Final tobacco text upholds status quo
The sixth and final round of negotiations on the Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control has concluded with delegates deciding not to impose an
obligatory ban on duty-free tobacco sales. The final text suggests that
measures to reduce the demand for tobacco may include "prohibiting or
restricting" the sale of duty-free tobacco.
International Travel Retail Confederation director-general Keith Spinks
said: "It is clear that it will be up to individual signatories to
decide what action they wish to take. This is no different to the
position today where individual countries are able to make their own
decisions on tax policy and duty-free."
Said International Association of Airport Duty Free Stores' Washington
lobbyist Jon Kent: "This final text is the most successful outcome from
what has been a long and protracted process."
The amended proposal will be moved for adoption, along with the other
FCTC provisions, at the World Health Assembly in May. However, Spinks
warned that the industry must remain vigilant and "monitor developments
as the Convention is implemented at national and regional level,
following its adoption and the conclusion of the ratification process."
03/03/2003