Dear Chair,
On behalf of the Convention Secretariat, I would like to thank all Parties to the WHO FCTC who have raised the importance of the treaty and the Protocol as an essential components of the NCDs agenda.
Tobacco use is responsible for one in six deaths from NCDs and is the only common risk factor for all of the four main types of NCDs.
Target 3.a of the Sustainable Development Goals is on strengthening the implementation of the WHO FCTC and both the sixth and seventh session of the Conference of the Parties adopted decisions on contribution of the COP to achieving the NCD global target on the reduction of tobacco use.
The Convention Secretariat has been working hand in hand with WHO on the global NCDs agenda and welcomes the WHO High Level Independent Commission on NCDs. We hope the third High Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on NCDs will embrace bold ideas such as tobacco end game by 2030 and give due attention to strengthen the governance of global NCD actions including safe guard global NCD financing mechanism from tobacco industry interference.
The Convention Secretariat is an independent member of the UN Inter Agency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of NCDs and is leading the recently established thematic group on tobacco control. We request that the document A71/14 in Annex 4 includes this thematic group.
The eighth session of the Conference of the Parties will take place from 1 to 6 October 2018 in Geneva. COP8 will be updated with the progress made in the contribution of COP to the Global NCD Action Plan. I take this opportunity to invite Parties, State Non Parties and IGO and NGO observers to attend the COP8.
We also call on all Parties to the WHO FCTC to become Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products to allow it entering into force as soon as possible. Five more Parties are needed by 2 July 2018 to enable the first session of the Meeting of Parties to the Protocol to take place on 8 to 10 October 2018.
I thank you.