The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said Tobacco remains one of the biggest public health threats the world ever faced, killing an estimated 8.7 million people every year, revealing that the economic, social and environmental costs are massive with about 1.4 trillion US dollars a year in health expenditure and lost productivity.
The WHO Director-General, Dr Tedro Ghebreyesus who made this disclosure in a video message at the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Panama on Monday stated that much needed to be done, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where the tobacco industry is increasingly active.
According to him, “More than 20 years since it was adopted by World Health Assembly, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control remains one of the world’s most powerful tools for health. Together, we have made great progress. We have saved lives.
“More than 70% of the world’s population is now covered by at least one Mpower measure implemented at the highest level. Despite all these successes, much remains to be done, especially in low-and middle- income countries, where the tobacco industry is increasingly active.
“We must continue advocating for urgent and accelerated implementation of the Convention. We must continue to be on our guard against the tobacco industry and its tactics. I am committed to use the full force of the convention to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable”, Ghebreyesus added.
The Head of the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, (WHO FCTC), Dr Adriana Blanco Marquizo in her welcome address warned of increasing availability of novel and emerging nicotine and tobacco products, saying these are becoming a very troubling problem with an alarming increase in the use of these products by young people.
She added that part of this increase is due to disingenuous tobacco industry messages portraying these products as a replacement for real tobacco control measures, as the industry again tries to claim a seat at the table – as part of the solution to an epidemic that the industry created and continues to sustain.
Marquizo called for measures which she said are 100% in the hands of the Ministries of Health, such as smoke-free environments and graphic health warnings, adding that these measures were implemented by executive decrees in some countries. “But, we’re still far from universal comprehensive implementation of these measures globally”, she admitted.
The COP10 runs from Monday to Saturday 10 February, followed by the third Meeting of the Parties (MOP3) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products from Monday, 12 February to Thursday, 15 February 2024.
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is the first international treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization.
It was adopted by the World Health Assembly on 21 May 2003 and entered into force on 27 February 2005. It has since become one of most rapidly and widely embraced treaties in United Nations history, with 183 Parties.
The WHO FCTC was developed in response to the globalization of the tobacco epidemic and is evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health.
The Convention represents a milestone for the promotion of public health and provides new legal dimensions for international health cooperation.