In the weeks ahead across Africa, established tobacco control groups and the emerging ones would have the herculean task of helping their government delegates to the COP2 fine-tune their wishes and demands as they prepare for this second meeting of the parties.
At this stage, we must not underestimate the role we can play as NGO sector in influencing the contribution of African delegates at the COP2.
It
is interesting to know that regional blocs would be the height of
discussions at the COP2 just as experienced during the COP1 and thus
Africans must speak with one voice and in particular make intelligent
demand.
There is obvious need at this point to relate with key
government delegate to the COP2 beforehand, considering the fact that
the COP1 almost left the African delegates in disarray following the
dust raised over their quest for Global Fund.
It would be
recalled that suspicion trailed the African delegates’ request for
Global Fund by the donor nations at the COP1, hence this second meeting
provide African delegates to make their demand and push it beyond that
level of suspicion to the acceptable level.
It is not
tactically okay to ratify FCTC and make its implementation suffer.
Perhaps simply put in whose interest is investing millions of dollars
in negotiating a treaty, only to abandon the course mid-way. It is high
time the different blocs that will make the COP2 worked together for
accelerated implementation without creating gaps.
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