= national COUNCIL AGAINST Smoking
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MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate publication 26 February 2010
Saturday, 27 February 2010, marks the fifth anniversary of the entry into force of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), and marks an important milestone in public health history.
The FCTC is the first treaty negotiated by the WHO, and it has been ratified by 168 (86%) of the 195 member states of the WHO making it one of the most rapidly embraced international treaties of all time.
The treaty is a response to the fact that tobacco use kills 5.4 million people a year - an average of one person every six seconds - and accounts for one in 10 adult deaths worldwide. The death rate is set to double in the next two decades.
The treaty has accelerated global action to control tobacco. The FCTC secretariat reports that by 2009 about:
- 85% of Parties have established a national tobacco-control coordinating mechanism or focal point;
- 85% of Parties implemented policies to protect citizens from exposure to tobacco smoke pollution in indoor workplaces, and 73% have policies to prevent exposure to tobacco smoke pollution in indoor public places;
- 79% of Parties had policies requiring tobacco product packaging to carry health warnings describing the harmful effects of tobacco smoke, and 26% require health warnings in the form of pictures or pictograms.;
- 62% have banned terms such as ‘light’ ‘mild’ and ‘low-tar’ on packaging as they created a false impression of safety;
- half the Parties have taken steps to prevent the tobacco industry from interfering with their tobacco-control policies. Parties regard the power of the tobacco industry as one of the key barriers to implementation of the FCTC in their jurisdictions;
- 28% of the Parties apply restrictions on the advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products
Although there has been good overall progress towards implementation, much remains to be done. Universal FCTC implementation is still far away, Governments in higher income Parties have also made no real effort to provide technical and financial assistance to low and middle income countries.
South Africa has made real and substantial progress in meeting its treaty obligations with the introduction of the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Acts of 2007 and 2008. While South Africa remains a leader in Africa in efforts to reduce the death and disease caused by tobacco, implementation of the new laws needs to be accelerated..
The FCTC was commemorated a special event on Friday 26 February 2010 at WHO Headquarters in Geneva. The SA ambassador to Switzerland participated in the celebration.
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NOTE for Editors: In SA tobacco kills 44 000 people every year.