Tuesday, June 1 , 1999
Thank you Karen for accepting our " rendez-vous ". May I ask you to introduce yourself ?
I was born in the US, went into the Peace Corps, ended up staying in the Cameroon for 9 years and marrying a Frenchman. I then lived in Mostar, in the former Yugoslavia in the early 80s and then did my PhD in behavioural medicine with Rob Sanson-Fisher in Australia. I arrived in France 11 years ago, and joined up with Albert Hirsch and Serge Karsenty to work on smoking cessation in general practice.
I was involved in the organization of the 9th World Conference on Tobacco and Health in 1994 in Paris, and am currently chief of the Tobacco Prevention Division of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, IUATLD, and coordinator of the International Non Governmental Coalition Against Tobacco, INGCAT.
1. Can you tell us about the international conference for NGOs you just organized in Geneva?
Many NGOs that are working on issues concerning children's rights, women's equity, access to education, optimal health care, consumer protection and sustainable development have not in the past taken on tobacco control activities, leaving it as a separate issue for the tobacco control advocates. But current events have changed, and more and more organizations see that the growth in tobacco use and the tactics of the tobacco transnational affect their own goals. With this meeting, we tried to capitalize on this growing sentiment to mobilize NGOs from many sectors to commit to take on tobacco control initiatives.
Many of the organizations that came to the meeting do not have a specific policy about tobacco. Their first steps will be to get tobacco onto the agenda. Other organizations which already have a policy about tobacco were encouraged to commit to more action. Now all of these international NGOs have affiliated national members, and their combined outreach throughout the world is tremendous. Tobacco control needs advocates, and tobacco control NGOs. It needs the international efforts of the "committed" international NGOs like the UICC, the IUATLD and the WHF. But it also needs to grow into the activities of the Scouts, public service workers, sports associations, children's protection groups, women's groups, church groups, etc. We hope that this mobilization meeting will begin a mobilization process, with growing numbers of NGOs coming into tobacco control at various speeds, building support for tobacco control throughout their membership, playing an important role in lobbying for the Framework Convention, in delegitimising the role of tobacco in the economy, and in demanding industry accountability. So, the meeting was just the beginning.
2. What are Ingcat's priorities now?
Already in 1998, INGCAT had a long-term strategy for tobacco control:
1) liaison with NGOs, which includes the mobilization of new NGOs mentioned above, but also regular contact and regularly distributed information particularly for low income countries and the promotion of tobacco control activities; 2) advocacy, both directly in lobbying various governments or supra-governmental bodies and contact with the media, but also in providing advocacy materials and supporting advocacy activities when requested; and 3) capacity building to reinforce networking and coordinated action. This last category will in future include networking particularly in relation to the Framework Convention.
3. The net and email are part of the daily life of many tobacco control activists, at least in "western" countries.
How does it fare for Ingcat's members? Are most of them on line?
Many of INGCAT's members are not yet on line. Nevertheless, even those that are able to access information on the internet may not be in a position to sift through all of the information available about tobacco. We do have some tobacco control NGOs among our members or contacts, but many of our members have broader mandates: prevention and treatment of particular diseases; general health promotion, lifestyle issues. INGCAT provides an overview of tobacco issues, and attempts to stimulate a more active stance in those organizations that don't have the personnel or structure to regularly monitor information about tobacco control, such as what is available in networks like Globalink for advocates. INGCAT has always seen its role to include providing information and encouragement to those NGOs outside of the inner circle of tobacco control. But we also want to be easily accessible, and we are creating a new website which is already open at www.ingcat.org.
4. Since you are based in Paris, can you give us a personal assessment of the tobacco control situation in France?
France, known world-wide for its smoky restaurants, is making considerable progress in the slow but steady change of smoking norms.
This is not because of consistent public policy, however.
Nor is it a result of a commonality of purpose among people working in different fields concerning tobacco control. Nevertheless, funding for public tobacco control activities has gone up, after several years of starvation funding. The regular attacks on the Evin Act which bans tobacco advertising seem unlikely to topple it, particularly with the EU directive having been voted. There are still many tensions between individuals in the tobacco control community over whether or not nicotine replacement medications should be available over the counter, but a recent government decision has perhaps put that fight to rest.
The camps are still miles apart: there are those who want tobacco use to be medicalised to a much greater extent, there are those who see the issue in purely political terms, there are those who feel it is all in the hands of the children. And it is difficult joining them together.
Nevertheless, the effort is being made with the French Alliance for health and tobacco control. One could wish for a more coherent face on tobacco control activities, but despite that, social change is occurring.
5. The European Union of Non-Smokers asked for contacts with the
International Labor Office and other international organizations to
promote tobacco control in the workplace.
Could Ingcat support such an effort?
INGCAT is willing to support tobacco control actions that take place on an international scale. We try to be careful not to supercede efforts of those closest to the action lead.
For example, when lobbying activities were being organized for the EU vote on the tobacco advertising ban, INGCAT followed the lead of the regional coalition, and wrote supporting letters to MEPs, but left national campaigning to the national organizations. We launched the Declaration on growing up without tobacco at that time to mobilize more general support for tobacco control actions, which included banning tobacco advertising.
When extending the time period for duty-free cigarettes within the EU common market became an issue, INGCAT was asked to take a role.
When we were told that this was not an issue that national organizations wanted to take on at the present time, we took a more visible role.
But we do not want to do what others can do better.
INGCAT is there to mobilize where it can, and hopefully provide useful support to national and regional efforts.
Do you have anything else you would like to add?
An international tobacco control coalition should be a good and useful tool for NGOs to use. We welcome comments, suggestions, criticisms.
We need to know how we can be most effective.
Thank you Karen for taking the time to be with us today.
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