Editor's note:
On 10 February 2024, the 10th session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), which concluded in Panama, made a far-reaching decision urging Parties to take concrete action in accordance with Article 18 of the Convention to protect the environment and human health from the harmful effects of tobacco. Adrianablanco Marquizo, Head of the Convention Secretariat, stressed that the decision on Article 18 of the Convention aims to urge Parties to take into account the environmental impacts of the cultivation, manufacture, consumption and waste disposal of tobacco products, and to strengthen the implementation of Article 18 of the Convention, including through the development of national policies related to tobacco and environmental protection. As early as 2018, the Tobacco Control Group of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Association (hereinafter referred to as the "Tobacco Control Group") began to pay attention to the impact of tobacco on the environment and has done a lot of work to this end.
Reference: Ma Yong: Sharing the progress of environmental protection and tobacco control.
According to Asiye review cherry ed
unsplash/kristaps solims |The World Health Organization is raising awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke.
February 10, 2024Health & Hygiene.
The tenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which concluded today in Panama, took a far-reaching decision urging Parties to take concrete action under Article 18 of the Convention to protect the environment and human health from the harmful effects of tobacco.
Globally, about 200,000 hectares of land are cleared each year for tobacco cultivation, accounting for 20% of the annual increase in global greenhouse gases.
Article 18 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), on the other hand, clearly states that "each Party agrees, in fulfilling its obligations under this Convention, to exercise due care for the protection of the environment and the health of persons associated with the environment in the cultivation and production of tobacco in its territory".
Adrianablanco Marquizo, Head of the Convention Secretariat, stressed that the decision on Article 18 of the Convention aims to urge Parties to take into account the environmental impacts of the cultivation, manufacture, consumption and waste disposal of tobacco products, and to strengthen the implementation of Article 18 of the Convention, including through the development of national policies related to tobacco and environmental protection.
The decision also concerns the issue of cigarette filters. It is estimated that there are 45 trillion cigarette butts were discarded, equivalent to 16900 million pounds of toxic waste containing plastic. Under certain conditions, such as sunlight and moisture, cigarette filters break down into smaller pieces of plastic, releasing some of the 7,000 chemicals contained in a cigarette. And many of these chemicals are toxic to the environment.
The COP also took another important decision to strengthen guidelines on the depiction of tobacco in transnational tobacco advertising, sponsorship and recreation.
Other decisions taken at the meeting related to the promotion of human rights through the FCTC and the strengthening of the capacity of the Convention to invest**.
In addition, two expert groups were established: one aimed at developing forward-looking tobacco control measures in line with Article 2, paragraph 1, of the Convention, and the other focused on the implementation of Article 19 of the Convention, i.e. issues related to liability.
In addition, Parties agreed to extend the mandate of the Global Strategy for Accelerating Tobacco Control 2019-2025 for five years, aligning it with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
On World No Tobacco Day, WHO launches a campaign to stop tobacco industry interference. (Data map).
The Panama Declaration adopted at the Conference also drew attention to the fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the interests of the tobacco industry and the interests of public health.
The Declaration also makes clear the need for policy coherence within countries** to comply with Article 5(3) of the FCTC to prevent their public health policies from being influenced by the commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry.
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is the first international treaty negotiated under the auspices of WHO. The Convention was adopted by the World Health Assembly on 21 May 2003 and entered into force on 27 February 2005. Since then, it has become one of the most rapidly and widely accepted treaties in the history of the United Nations, with 183 parties.
The FCTC was developed in response to the globalization of tobacco epidemics. It is an evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest attainable standard of health. The Convention is a milestone in the promotion of public health and provides a new legal basis for international health cooperation.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the governing body of the FCTC and is composed of all Parties to the Convention. The Conference regularly reviews the implementation of the Convention and takes the necessary decisions to promote its effective implementation.
COP 10 was held in Panama from 5 to 10 February and was attended by thousands of delegates from 142 Parties.
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