WHO Report: Governments Not Doing Enough to Protect Citizens from Secondhand Smoke, Implement Other Provisions of Tobacco Treaty : Statement of Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
A new report released today by the World Health Organization (WHO) finds that, even as the global toll of tobacco grows, most governments are falling short in implementing the policies required by the international tobacco control treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. In particular, the report finds that governments are not moving quickly enough to enact comprehensive smoke-free laws that provide protection from deadly secondhand smoke, with more than 94 percent of the world’s population still unprotected.
The WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2009 makes clear both the devastating scope of the tobacco epidemic and the fact that it is entirely preventable if nations urgently implement the proven solutions called for by the tobacco treaty. It is a wake-up call for nations to take immediate action that can save hundreds of millions of lives.
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The report also found that nations are not meeting their treaty obligations to implement other proven measures to reduce tobacco use, such as increasing tobacco taxes, requiring large, graphic health warnings on tobacco packs and banning all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
There has been little movement on banning all tobacco advertising, sponsorship and promotion, with only Panama passing a new advertising ban in 2008. Progress on increasing tobacco taxes has also come to a halt — with only a few countries increasing taxes while other countries have fallen behind. . . .
The time for nations to act is now. This global health epidemic is not inevitable, and we know how to stop it. Based on science and experience, the WHO has identified six cost-effective solutions that have been proven to reduce tobacco use and that every nation must act urgently to implement. Called the MPOWER package . . .
There are 168 nations that have committed to implementing these measures by ratifying the FCTC. But ratification is not enough. To reduce tobacco use and save lives, nations must enact and enforce strong and effective tobacco control measures. The scientific evidence is beyond dispute that these solutions work, and that they are achievable and affordable.
