Johannesburg, South Africa: 29th February 2013:- Countries that signed and ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) have been urged to speed up the implementation of the time bound provisions of the Protocol to avoid faulting the provision of this first public health treaty.
This appeal was made by Dr Ahamed Ogwel, the Regional Tobacco Advisor at the WHO Regional Office based in Brazzaville, Congo. He was speaking at the joint tobacco control coordination meeting for the WHO-AFRO region, currently underway in Johannesburg.
The two day meeting, facilitated by the American Cancer Society (ACS) in conjunction with WHO –AFRO and Department of Health, South Africa is aimed at promoting cooperation amongst the three key levels of tobacco control focal points in each country (Ministry of Health, WHO country Offices and Civil Society) in order to develop practical implementation plans for tobacco control policy goals. The participants, representing each of the levels, are drawn from twenty two countries, twelve of which are Francophone.
According to Dr Ogwel there is urgent need for countries to be conscious of the time bound articles of the FCTC including; Article 11 -Prohibit misleading labeling and packaging of tobacco products and Article 13 on banning of Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship ( TAPs).
“Article 11 should be effected within three years of the country’s ratification of the FCTC while Article 13 should be fulfilled within five years after the ratification of the Convention” noted Dr. Ogwel, adding that it is unfortunate that most countries have not met the required deadlines and challenged participants to inform the relevant country authorities to ensure that these obligations are met as soon as possible.
The WHO country Representative, South Africa, Dr Sarah Barber assured participants of WHO’s commitment to supporting countries to domesticate and implement the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control ( FCTC). She also reiterated her personal support to the tobacco control cause, adding that the deaths attributed to tobacco use can be prevented if we all put actions together.
The first day of the meeting culminated into the development of country specific work plans, components of which are expected to be funded by some of the partners present.
The TC partners present provided an overview of their activities including available resources that can be utilized by countries to meet their various FCTC obligations. The Partners included; American Cancer Society, Africa Tobacco Control Consortium ( ATCC), Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa ( CTCA), Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids ( CTFK), the Union, International Development Research Centre ( IDRC), World Lung Foundation ( WLF) and WHO.