Thank you, Fatimah.
Good morning Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, Dr Asmus Hammerich, esteemed colleagues, and participants from Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen.
It is a privilege for us in the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to have worked closely with the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in organizing this important meeting.
We are grateful to the Parties that brought these concerns to the attention of the Conference of the Parties at its last session.
Your commitment in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to “leave no one behind” – as promised in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs – and to your obligations as a Party to the WHO FCTC is well recognized.
I want to take a moment to recognize the difficult situation that the countries participating in this virtual meeting are going through, and express my great respect for them as they continue to keep on working – even in this dire situation – to fulfil their commitments under the WHO FCTC.
We see evidence of this commitment in your efforts to implement key tobacco control measures, such as ensuring smoke-free indoor public spaces and workplaces; banning all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and providing cessation services to tobacco users.
Equally important is your commitment in meeting the WHO FCTC reporting deadlines, your political support of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, and your endorsement at COP8 of the Global Strategy to Accelerate Tobacco Control 2019–2025 to advance sustainable development through the implementation of the Convention.
The challenges you face in promoting compliance and enforcing tobacco control laws, providing cessation support, and countering illicit trade in complex emergency settings can be tremendous.
And, of course, you also face one of the greatest barriers to tobacco control in any context –the relentless interference of the tobacco industry.
The industry has a history of interfering with public health policies to advance its own interests, is known to have participated in illicit trade activities and continues to cultivate relationships with governments to influence taxation policies to the industry’s advantage.
In the context of complex emergency settings, this industry interference often masquerades as offers of assistance when Parties are at their most vulnerable – assistance that is later publicized to help the industry launder its reputation.
Therefore, attention needs to be given to Article 5.3, that is, to protect public health policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry.
To maintain basic tobacco control measures during complex emergency situations, some practical actions were proposed at the last session of the Conference of the Parties.
We will look into these elements in greater detail during this meeting.
We have to work together to prevent our youth from initiating tobacco use, to create an environment that supports users to quit tobacco, and to prevent the tobacco industry from undermining existing legislation, governance and the rule of law.
We understand that living in complex emergency settings is challenging.
But still, the enormous burdens caused by tobacco are preventable and can improve lives even in these challenging settings.
During this meeting, we will present an overview of key obligations of the WHO FCTC, share best practice examples from the Region, and learn more about your challenges.
Our objective is to identify priority areas where we can provide you with dedicated resources and technical support to advance WHO FCTC implementation and lay the foundation for stronger tobacco control measures.
However, we need to highlight that the health sector alone cannot implement all the measures needed to curb the tobacco epidemic.
To reflect the necessary intersectoral approach, we have invited representatives from various sectors of your government to participate in this meeting to share their experiences and to strengthen our efforts.
Of course, we hope that this meeting will foster collaboration across sectors for stronger tobacco control actions.
The support for this event is being offered through the Convention Secretariat’s FCTC 2030 project.
I would like to recognize the project’s generous donors – Australia, Norway and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
I wish also to sincerely thank colleagues from WHO at global, regional and country levels, as well as to the United Nations Development Programme, and experts who have also contributed to the organization and delivery of this important meeting.
Together, we will succeed in building a healthy, sustainable, tobacco-free future.
Thank you, and I wish you all a successful meeting.