W.H.O treaty meeting ends with resolutions regulating e-cigarettes

W.H.O treaty meeting ends with resolutions regulating e-cigarettes
….progress made in recouping health costs

 

As the sixth session of the Conference of parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Moscow ends, delegates have adopted a range of lifesaving policies over the objections of  Tobacco transnationals and their allies. Notable public health victories at the treaty meeting organized by the World Health Organization include:

·         the adoption of principles for regulating electronic cigarettes globally in line with tobacco products;

·         a resolution demanding the interests of public health be prioritized in the context of trade negotiations, as industry attempts to use trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership to undermine tobacco control laws; and

·         a consensus that work proceed in developing international standards for holding Big Tobacco civilly and criminally liable for the health crisis it is driving.

“Industry interference continues to be the single greatest impediment to the treaty’s progress. But this week, the global community made strides in clearing this impediment and getting to the task of saving lives,” said Challenge Big Tobacco Campaign Director John Stewart.

The meeting’s decision on electronic cigarettes was among its most eagerly anticipated. Currently, many nations where e-cigarettes are becoming popular have little to no regulations—allowing e-cigarette corporations, increasingly owned by Tobacco transnationals, to use flavoring and marketing that appeals to kids. The decision urges countries to regulate the devices and all forms of marketing, in line with the recommendations of the FCTC. An increasing number of countries, includingPanama, Singaporeand most recently India, have already banned e-cigarettes.

“For us in Nigeria this is great news because the foray into e-cigarettes is a grand design by the tobacco transnationals to entice our kids to smoking . We applaud the decision of Parties to nip this in the bud,” said Philip Jakpor of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN)

 “The Nigerian Senate which organized a Public Hearing on the National Tobacco Control Bill (NTCB) last week must take note of this health-saving decision and incorporate into the law, provisions rejecting e-cigarettes, vending machines and other devices that the tobacco transnationals have initiated to circumvent the process,” Jakpor added.

Parties also adopted a resolution to prioritize health and their obligations to the treaty in trade negotiations. The resolution introduced by Malaysia was prompted by a disagreement between the US and other Pacific Rim countries during Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. Separately, Malaysia has proposed a carve-out of the industry to counter a proposal by theUSthat would allowthe tobacco industry legal standing to sue countries directly in trade courts for implementing tobacco control laws.

In response to reports of diplomatic missions carrying out the agenda of the tobacco industry, countries expanded the scope of Article 5.3—a provision that creates a firewall between the tobacco industry and policymaking. The adopted decision calls on Parties to end this practice and provides direct support to countries to speed up the implementation of the firewall at the national level. 

With regard to setting standards for holding the industry liable for its harms, delegates empowered an expert group to begin drafting guidelines for country implementation as soon as COP7.

The tobacco epidemic costs the global community more than $500 billion every year. These direct health costs are compounded bythe loss of economic activity from ailing or dying smokers and environmental destruction from farming practices.The successful litigation againstthe tobacco industry in the US, via the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), secured the recovery of $206 billion in health care costs and transformed public health by banning advertising to kids and exposing industry lies.

The global tobacco treaty, enteredinto force in 2005. To date, 178 countries and the European Union have become Parties to the treaty. It containsthe world’s most effective tobacco control and corporate accountability measures—estimated to save  200 million lives by 2050if fully implemented.