WHO start another Smoking storm to combat illegal trade

WHO start another Smoking storm to combat illegal trade

Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization February 16, the end of a six-day meeting. Delegates attending the meeting in the year 2010 to develop a new “fight against protocol on illicit trade of tobacco products” to reach a consensus.The Protocol will further curb the rampant tobacco smuggling, to promote the depth of the global anti-smoking campaign.

WHO, as the United Nations specialized agencies responsible for global health affairs, has been to reduce the hazards of tobacco in the world to make unremitting efforts.Proposed by the WHO FCTC negotiations in 1996, after nearly a decade of arduous negotiations and approval process, the Convention entered into force in February 2005, it reached under the auspices of the World Health Organization a legally binding international public health treaty, but also for the tobacco world-wide multilateral agreement to protect the health of billions of people from smoking is hazardous to provide a legal guarantee.

Content of this Convention be summed up as the main content of the six areas, namely, monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies Protect people from tobacco smoke, help to quit tobacco use, warning of the dangers of tobacco Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship as well as The increase in tobacco tax. In accordance with the requirements of the Convention, the countries to develop their own anti-smoking strategy, to carry out different levels of anti-smoking campaign.

After three years, the WHO published a report in early February on the global non-smoking situation a comprehensive assessment. The report argues that the country’s smoking ban is doing is not enough. WHO survey shows that only 5% of the global population is protected by six anti-smoking measures, and 40% of countries still allow smoking in hospitals and schools, warning icon printed on tobacco products, ban on tobacco advertising and promotional activities as well as quit smoking to help countries less than 10%. The main problem is that countries are reluctant to increase investment in anti-smoking campaign, only equivalent to one thousandth of the money of the tobacco tax revenue for the smoking area of ​​work.

For this situation, the WHO expressed great concern. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said, “Although no-smoking efforts gained momentum, virtually every country needs to do much more for each country, whether rich or poor have the ability to implement these six strategies, six strategic package together, you can create the greatest opportunity for us to reverse the tobacco increasingly popular trend, “she warned, if the current situation can not be reversed, this century the world’s one billion people will die from smoking-related diseases .

The WHO survey also found some noteworthy new phenomenon. The most significant feature is the consumption of tobacco products shift from developed to developing countries. In developing countries every year hundreds of millions of new smokers, and adolescents and female smokers represent a sizeable proportion. Important reason is that the illicit trade in tobacco smuggling. According to statistics, the global illicit tobacco trade accounted for about 10% of the total tobacco trade in some developing countries a higher proportion of the Governments loss of tax revenue each year up to nearly $ 5 billion. And tobacco smuggling drive down prices, making it easier to fall into the hands of young people. The survey also found that the causes of this phenomenon is very complex, some of the largest international tobacco manufacturers to become a major force behind, increasing the difficulty of the fight against illegal tobacco trade.

The convened by WHO FCTC Conference of the Parties, the decision to develop new anti-tobacco products protocol on illicit trade “as an important supplement to the FCTC”. Health, trade, customs and judicial departments of the States Parties on behalf of hundreds of people attended the meeting. Participants discussed the key elements of the Protocol, and agreed that the negotiation process and the steps. The countries agreed to negotiate the contents as soon as possible, for in the year 2010 by the Protocol. I believe that when global resurgence of a new non-smoking storm.