Your Excellency President Laurentino Cortizo,
Honourable Minister of Health of Panama Dr Luis Francisco Sucre,
President of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) Ms Zandhi Dhalamini,
Honourable Ministers and Heads of Delegations,
Dear participants,
Greetings and a heartfelt thank you to all those who have made this event possible in wonderful and welcoming Panama City.
This is the first in-person meeting of the Conference of the Parties in six years – the first since the COVID-19 pandemic and the first to be hosted by a Party since COP7 eight years ago in India.
It also marks another first – my first in-person COP as Head of the Convention Secretariat.
As this is the 10th session of the COP – taking place more than 20 years after the adoption of the treaty by the World Health Assembly and nearly 20 years after its entry into force internationally – it provides an excellent opportunity to pause and reflect on what we have achieved, and what lies ahead.
Trends in the prevalence of tobacco use among adults have shown a steady decline from nearly 33% in 2000 to just over 22% two decades later.
And for the first time, the absolute number of smokers is decreasing, despite the continuous growth of the global population.
These numbers translate into millions of lives saved, and a huge amount of suffering avoided.
The Convention now has 183 Parties, with the most recent additions being Andorra in May 2020 and Malawi in August 2023; please, let’s welcome both of them.
And remember, the Convention has a related Protocol, the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, which is a new international treaty in its own right, with 68 Parties already signed on.
I’m pleased to report that the number of countries introducing legislation in compliance with the Convention continues to grow steadily – but not as fast as we would like.
And implementation of the Convention continues to vary widely, not only among countries but also from article to article.
These implementation disparities can be clearly seen in the 2023 Global Progress Report on Implementation of the WHO FCTC.
But please let me highlight some good news from the Global Progress Report:
- A growing number of Parties has developed comprehensive, multisectoral national tobacco control strategies.
- Several Parties increased the size of health warnings on tobacco products and adopted plain packaging.
- Parties in four World Health Organization regions reported an increase in the average tax burden on tobacco products, although only one region meets the benchmark of taxes representing at least 75% of the total retail price of cigarettes.
- And, in hopes of reaching a new milestone, several Parties are planning to reduce national tobacco use prevalence below 5%, in what is known as an “end-game strategy”.
Regarding our work at the Convention Secretariat, we have implemented broad improvements to our processes, making them more efficient.
And we have successfully strengthened relations and collaboration with WHO – our hosting organization – and I want to thank my WHO colleagues for their efforts as we harmonized our work.
In terms of direct country support, the FCTC 2030 project – made possible thanks to the generous support of Australia, Norway, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – has supported 33 countries and produced other public goods for the benefit of developing countries.
Also during the last biennium, other generous donors – such as Canada, Italy, the Netherlands and Panama – made other areas of our work possible.
The Secretariat also has expanded its work with other United Nations organizations, particularly in the area of the environment.
To this end, we have partnered with the United Nations Environment Programme to raise awareness and agree on action on the extensive environmental and human health impacts of microplastics in cigarette filters.
For this purpose, we have worked to engage social influencers along with UNEP’s Goodwill Ambassadors and Young Champions of the Earth.
Last but not least, we’re using new communication approaches and improving our digital platforms to disseminate information, and we are working on new fundraising activities to be undertaken this biennium.
So, everything looks good, BUT…
BUT, what an annoying word!!
But, unfortunately it’s not all good news.
Ladies and gentlemen, please let me highlight our three main challenges:
- slow implementation of the Convention
- new and emerging nicotine and tobacco products
- and, of course, interference by the tobacco industry.
The COP in 2018 adopted the Global Strategy to Accelerate Tobacco Control: Advancing Sustainable Development through the Implementation of the WHO FCTC 2019–2025, which covers implementation of the treaty through the end of next year.
While the COVID-19 pandemic may well have been the major reason for the lack of “acceleration” of tobacco control in the last few years, it’s not the only reason.
The other two challenges I just mentioned – emerging products and tobacco industry interference – certainly have played a role.
Measures that are 100% in the hands of the Ministries of Health, such as smoke-free environments and graphic health warnings, can and have been implemented by executive decrees in many countries. However, we are still far from universal comprehensive implementation of these measures globally. I respectfully invite you to ponder this problem.
The second challenge I noted – the increasing availability of novel and emerging nicotine and tobacco products – has become a very troubling problem, as we see an alarming increase in the use of these products by young people.
Of course, part of this increase is due to disingenuous tobacco industry messages portraying these products as a replacement for real tobacco control measures, as the industry again tries to claim a seat at the table – as part of the solution to an epidemic that the industry created and continues to sustain.
And this brings me to the last point: the relentless interference of the tobacco industry in every corner of the world.
There is no country – big or small, rich or poor, developed or developing – that does not face this kind of interference.
Article 5.3 of the Convention and its guidelines for implementation provide a way to end this interference, but unfortunately it is one of the less effectively implemented articles.
In fact, we can measure the importance and impact of this week’s meeting by looking at the efforts that the tobacco industry has undertaken in trying to derail not only COP10 but each and every COP.
We have a great deal of work ahead of us in the coming days, and I trust it will lead to a truly successful meeting.
After such a long time apart, it is wonderful for all of us to be meeting together, working face to face to confront the tobacco pandemic.
Please remember why we’re here.
Remember, when it comes to tobacco control our agreements far outnumber our disagreements, and that by banding together we are stronger.
Finally, remember that we are here to protect people from an industry that profits from suffering and death – and in the end, it’s truth and what’s right that will prevail.
Thank you.