WHO warns of interference
The World Health Organization on Thursday warned member-states against what it sees as the intensified efforts being made by the tobacco industry to interfere in the implementation of tobacco control policies, according to a story in the Philippines’ Cebu City Sun Star.
In a statement, the WHO said that succumbing to such interference might weaken public health programs.
There was a need for member-states to be more vigilant against the efforts of the tobacco industry to water down tobacco control programs.
‘This is a busy time and a challenging moment,’ the WHO said. ‘The tobacco industry is intensifying its effort to interfere with public health policies. More than ever, we must be vigilant and act to protect what we have achieved by developing and implementing the WHO-FCTC [Framework Convention on Tobacco Control].’
Citing the 2016 Tobacco Industry Interference Index Report, the WHO said it was objectionable how the tobacco industry continued to interfere through both ‘overt and covert means’.
In a bid to help member-states thwart tobacco industry interference, the WHO said:
* procedures needed to be put in place to reduce tobacco industry participation in policy development in every country;
* transparency was needed in dealing with the tobacco industry, and this was a major area that needed improvement;
* a whole-of-government approach was vital for FCTC Article 5.3 [covering the restrictions that the FCTC recommends on interactions with the tobacco industry] implementation, and a practical way forward would be to adopt a Code of Conduct for government officials;
* corporate social responsibility activities by the tobacco industry should be banned; and
* tobacco companies should be required to disclose and report on all expenditure on marketing, retailer incentives, philanthropy, lobbying and political contributions.
‘We urge everyone to collaborate strongly and resist tobacco industry interference so we can end the scourge brought by tobacco once and for all,’ said the WHO.