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NGOs CALL ON GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO RATIFY GLOBAL TOBACCO TREATY AS THOUSANDS GATHER FOR WORLD CONFERENCE ON TOBACCO OR HEALTH Infact and the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals Train Advocates and Officials to Resist Tobacco Industry Interference in Treaty Implementation FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACTS: Helsinki--Thousands of government officials, advocates representing non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and public health experts are coming together this week for the 12th World Conference on Tobacco or Health, the first such gathering since the May 21 adoption of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Infact, other members of the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT) and other NGOs from around the world are launching a campaign for swift ratification of the FCTC, the world's first public health treaty. Forty-seven governments have signed the treaty, which enters into force and becomes international law after 40 countries sign and ratify it. The tobacco industry is deeply concerned about the impact of the FCTC on its profits and expansion plans. According to the cover story in last month's Tobacco Reporter, an industry trade journal, "While it remains to be seen whether the FCTC's bite is as bad as its bark--all provisions must be translated into national laws and there is no enforcement mechanism--it is safe to assume that business will not get any easier for the tobacco industry." Internal industry documents released through litigation show that tobacco giants such as Philip Morris/Altria sought advice from the notorious public relations firm Mongoven, Biscoe and Duchin on how to prevent or delay adoption of the FCTC. Tobacco control advocates in Helsinki are now preparing for the next phase of industry opposition. "The FCTC is a major victory for people and public health over the profits of transnational corporations. Countries of Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific and Caribbean Islands united to protect the health of their people from the tobacco industry's deadly expansion. As the political battles over the FCTC move to capitals across the globe, vigilance to Big Tobacco's dirty tricks becomes more important than ever," says Kathryn Mulvey, Executive Director of Infact, a US-based corporate accountability organization. Infact and NATT allies, including Environmental Rights Action (Nigeria), Consumers Association of Malawi and Zambia Consumers Association, will make several presentations at the conference. Topics include a case study on tobacco industry attempts to undermine NGOs and public health policy, ratification lessons from other international human rights and environmental agreements, and recruiting and mobilizing the grassroots. Infact and NATT are also compiling a database of contacts and resources for ratification campaigns at country level. Throughout the FCTC negotiations, NATT members encouraged, prodded and pressured countries to stand firm in the face of Big Tobacco's enormous political and economic clout. With International Weeks of Resistance to Tobacco Transnationals, Marlboro Man Awards, and the release of a number of reports, NATT has played a key role in exposing and challenging the attempts of Philip Morris/Altria, BAT and Japan Tobacco International and their political allies in wealthy countries to derail the FCTC. Another effective grassroots pressure strategy was Infact's Boycott of Philip Morris/Altria's Kraft Foods, lifted in June in recognition of the FCTC's adoption. In the push toward ratification, NATT will continue to watchdog the tobacco industry's interference in the process. The FCTC, initiated by the World Health Organization, bans tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (such as Philip Morris/Altria's Marlboro Man) with exceptions only for constitutional reasons, and protects public health policy from tobacco industry interference. The treaty sets precedents for international regulation of other industries that threaten health, the environment and human rights, such as the pharmaceutical industry which is widely represented at the conference. ### Since 1977, Infact has been exposing life-threatening abuses of transnational corporations and organizing successful grassroots campaigns to hold corporations accountable to consumers and society at large. Infact is an NGO in Official Relations with the World Health Organization (WHO). The Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT) includes 75 NGOs from more than 50 countries working for a strong, enforceable Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. For more information visit www.infact.org or www.iwr2002.org.
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