FCA: What priorities now that the Framework Convention is 5 years old?

FCA distributed a press release (below) looking at what the priorities should be now that the Framework Convention is 5 years old. Laurent Huber insists about the limited size of the budgets devoted to tobacco control. I am not sure I agree when Bloomberg and Gates have poured hundreds of millions ($500 millions to be precise) to support advocacy. Before asking for more it seems to me one should seriously look at how those millions have been/are used. Until now there has not really been a detailed report/evaluation about the use of those funds.

As far as Africa is concerned there is an evaluation going on about the IDRC programs but who cares about it? Should' nt we look very closely at how those $5.2 millions that represented (by far) the biggest budget even awarded to tobacco control in Africa have been used, especially when two new programs are going to start also with significant funding: $10 millions for WHO and $7 millions for ACS and the "African Consortium". Even spread on 5 years this is not small change.

What did we get out of the 5 millions + given to IDRC to promote tobacco control in Africa? What lessons can be learned from this program? But do we even really want to closely look? Do we want to look at what -eventually- did not work so we don't repeat the same mistakes, so we change what needs to change?

It is tempting (and easy) to continue crying for more money and proclaim we are poorly funded but the reality is that tobacco control advocates (or at least some of them) never have had so much money. What are they doing with it?

For immediate release

History-making tobacco treaty now five years old

26 February 2010: 

It is now five years since the WHO Framework Convention on (sorry for this strange presentation but the pdf format that FCA seems to prefer above all, does not transfer well into html if you want to click and read it as pdf here is a link)

Tobacco Control (FCTC) came into effect, marking an important milestone in public

health history.

The Framework Convention Alliance (FCA) is pleased with the FCTC’s global impact to

date. Already, 168 out of 195 eligible parties have joined the treaty through ratification

or accession, and more are set to join.

As a result many countries have implemented effective evidence based measures to

decrease prevalence of tobacco use and save lives through banning tobacco

advertising and sponsorship; through protecting citizens from tobacco smoke

exposure; and through mandating pictorial warnings on cigarette packs.

The FCTC is a remarkable achievement because:

·

It is the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of the WHO, a resounding

recognition that international law has a critical role to play in global health.

·

The treaty catalysed global action, elevating the importance of tobacco control

as a global health and political issue, stimulating policy change at the domestic

level and bringing new public and private resources into the field.

·

The FCTC Conference of the Parties (COP) adopted strong guidelines on four

of the convention’s key substantive articles, and work is underway on the

development of a number of other guidelines and a protocol.

However, for each success there is an equally difficult ongoing challenge because

universal FCTC implementation is still far away, particularly with respect to tobacco

taxation, control of illicit trade of tobacco products and any measures that require

resources, such as public education and cessation.

Richer parties have also made no significant effort to ensure tobacco control efforts in

low and middle income countries receive appropriate technical and financial

assistance. FCA would like to see countries include tobacco control in their

development agendas to boost funding in this crucial area.

While tobacco kills more than 5 million people a year, tobacco control programs are

grossly underfunded.

As a result, during the next five years FCA will focus on improving FCTC

implementation and increasing resources to adequately fund implementation of

measures and policies that are compliant with the treaty.

FCA would also like to see more stringent measures in place such as 90 per cent

graphic warnings on cigarette packages; bans on cigarette package displays and duty

free tobacco sales; generic packaging; higher tobacco taxes; more cessation methods;

and an effective protocol on illicit trade in tobacco products.

FCA director Laurent Huber said that over the past five years, the number of deaths

caused by tobacco has increased and not decreased.

“Tobacco use remains high in low and middle income countries and it is increasing

among women and young people,” he said. “We have five years of good progress on

policy but deaths due to tobacco use continue to rise. Governments need to fund their

policy promises to stem the tide of tobacco deaths.”

---

Page 2

FCA would also like to see tobacco control treated as a development issue because

the tobacco epidemic is shifting rapidly from developed to developing countries.

Tobacco addiction is a tremendous burden to poor families because it diverts money

from necessities such as food and education into the pockets of the tobacco industry.

Subsequent diseases from tobacco use consume already scarce health care

resources.

Despite this, tobacco control has yet to make its way onto the global development

agenda and receives no mention in the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. If

tobacco control is treated as a global after-thought, development in the world’s poorer

countries will be handicapped by rapid rises in tobacco-caused disease for decades to

come.

“Our attitude should not be one of doing the bare minimum, but we should utilise the

FCTC as a mechanism to escalate tobacco control efforts in order to save lives,” said

Huber. “The tobacco industry is alive and well, but health is still lagging behind. FCA

challenges Parties to put action to intention, to do more, do what is needed and do it

faster.”

Contact: Susan Cavanagh, FCA, +61416361759

www.fctc.org