The Ghana Observer- Cabinet urged to Present Tobacco Control Bill to Parliament

October 5, 2010

By Gertrude Ankah 

Vision for Alternative development (VALD), an NGO, has called on the Government to swiftly pass the Tobacco Control Bill into Law.

It further urged government to support strong guidelines for adoption at the Framework Convention on tobacco Control (FCTC) Conference of the Parties (COP) in Uruguay in Mid November 2010 and to stand strong in the face of ongoing interference and opposition from the tobacco industry.

According to VALD in a press statement, the action is one of dozens taking place across the globe this week as part of the 10th International Week of Residence to Tobacco Transitional.

It said  the week aims to build momentum in the run-up to the treaty meeting in Uruguay on the global tobacco and that VAL calls for unified international action to prevent the tobacco industry from derailing the treaty’s lifesaving measures.

‘’Today we sent the message that the Ghanaian people will not tolerate the tobacco industry obstructing our laws, those of our neighbours, and countries across the globe and we stand in solidarity with the Ministry of Health in refusing to compromise public health with tobacco profit,’’ said Labram Musah Massawudu, Programmes Director of Vision for Alternative Development.

‘’Tobacco industry including the British American Tobacco (BAT)’s Corporate social responsibility programmes and signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with government agencies and other actions and more of that are clear violation of FCTC Article 5.3. But such blatant disregard of the treaty and its safeguards against such interference are already being tempered. Ghana has already advanced in the process of getting a strong Tobacco Control, Bill. Civil society will resist any weak tobacco law’’.

The Vision for Alternative Development also lauded the Ministry of Health for presenting the Tobacco Control Bill to Cabinet, but called on Cabinet to speed up and present the Tobacco Control Bill to Parliament for passage into law.

‘’The FCTC entered into force in 2005 and today it protects more than 87 percent of the world’s people in 171 countries. The FCTC is aimed at protecting present and future generation from the hazardous effects of tobacco smoke ‘’, it added.

VALD explained that because of the tobacco industry’s conflict of interest and its long history of undermining public health, countries that ratify the global tobacco treaty are legally obligated by Article 5.3 of the FCTC to protect their health policies against the tobacco industry’s interference.

‘’parties unanimously adopted strong, effective guidelines on implementing Article 5.3 in November 2008 and cover a range of tactics used by the Big tobacco industry-from lobbying and drafting legislation, to gaining a seat at the table in public policy-making, to covering their tracks with public relations campaigns and so-called’ corporate social responsibility’’ initiatives, to offering donations and agreement with government’’.

‘’Now it is time to advocate for domestic implementation of the Article 5.3 guidelines to break the tobacco industry’s influence over public health policies and allow the FCTC  to reach its full potential and to also  put in place precedent-setting checks and balances to ensure health over profit’’, it concluded.  

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