The Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is alerting governments and the public that the tobacco industry is intensifying efforts to interfere with the work of the Conference of the Parties (COP), the treaty’s decision-making body, to weaken global tobacco control measures.
The WHO FCTC is the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of WHO and one of the most widely and rapidly embraced United Nations treaties in history. A total of 183 Parties have joined the Convention, which entered into force 20 years ago, said the WHO.
The Eleventh session of the COP, which will be held from 17-22 November in Geneva, Switzerland, will bring together Parties to the Convention to take the decisions necessary to work towards achieving the objectives of the WHO FCTC, including the discussion of measures to prevent nicotine addiction, and for the protection of the environment and human health, among others.
The Meeting of the Parties (MOP), which will take place in Geneva, Switzerland from 24-26 November, serves as the governing body of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products—an international treaty that entered into force in 2018 and has 71 Parties. At the MOP, Parties will consider a range of measures aimed at shaping the future of the Protocol and its role in eliminating illicit trade in tobacco products, it added.
“With strategies varying from lobbying to outright attempts to manipulate delegations, the tobacco industry’s tactics are a cause for serious concern,” said Andrew Black, Acting Head of the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC.
Health Works Leaders Coalition
The World Bank Group, the Government of Japan, and the World Health Organization officially launched the Health Works Leaders Coalition. This global alliance brings together health and finance ministers, philanthropic organizations, business leaders, leaders of global health agencies, and civil society representatives with the aim of promoting investments in health systems as a strategy for economic growth, job creation, and improved resilience.
The Leaders Coalition is central to Health Works, a broader, global initiative led by the World Bank Group and partners to help countries reach 1.5 billion people with quality, affordable health services by 2030, it reads.
