Good morning and warm welcome to everyone.
I would like to thank Dr Rabindra Abeyasinghe for opening this meeting so eloquently and for his leadership as the WHO Representative for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei Darussalam.
It is indeed a pleasure to address all of you on this landmark occasion as we begin the critical groundwork for the Tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
The meeting – which we call COP10 – is just two months away, and, as you know, there is a huge amount of work to be undertaken so that we can achieve our ambitious agenda in Panama in November.
I would like to welcome our honoured guest, Dr Zaliha Mustafa, Minister of Health, Malaysia, who will offer us guidance and inspiration for the meeting, and I would like to thank her for graciously hosting this meeting.
I also want to acknowledge our trusted colleague Dr Noraryana Hassan, Regional Coordinator for WHO FCTC for the Western Pacific Region, who will lead this meeting with a sure and steady hand.
It has been five years since the last in-person meeting of WHO FCTC focal points in the Western Pacific Region. The worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is – hopefully – behind us, and we can once again benefit from a close-proximity meeting to discuss the tobacco pandemic.
So, what’s on the agenda?
Well, we will of course be looking in detail at implementation of the Convention.
We have made progress, but this is a huge task, and we must keep pushing the boulder uphill.
Of course, I don’t mind pausing to admire how far we’ve come – it’s a very long way, as the research shows – but we must fix our eyes upward, towards our eventual goal.
We will discuss the tactics used by the tobacco industry in the Western Pacific Region, the industry’s never-ending attempts to interfere and damage public health initiatives, and what we can do to confront this threat.
As always, that means a focus on Article 5.3, the gold standard for all those with a genuine interest in keeping tobacco industry interference outside any room where decisions are made to protect and enhance health.
By doing so, we help the world move towards achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG Target 3.a to strengthen WHO FCTC implementation.
We are also seeking new ways to broaden funding to further the goals of the treaty.
That’s the thinking behind the WHO FCTC Investment Fund and the Investment Fund to support the implementation of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.
There is a proposal to establish a single Oversight Committee for the funds, under the oversight of the separate governing bodies for each treaty, which would provide management synergies between the funds.
One of the biggest achievements of this Region in tobacco control is that it continues to be the only one of the WHO six regions in which 100% of its countries are Parties to the WHO FCTC.
On the other hand, there are only three Parties to the Protocol from this Region.
I know many of you will think: “Ah, yes, but my country has special circumstances”, or “We’re getting there”.
I know that and certainly appreciate all your good work.
I’d just like to offer a gentle reminder that we all need to accelerate the process to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products.
I’m speaking to a very well-informed audience, I know, but I must finish up by reiterating two things.
First, we must accelerate implementation of the WHO FCTC.
I realize you’ve heard this many times before, but please ask yourself: “What more can we do?”
Sometimes it is easy to become lost in the details of our work, and forget exactly what the point is.
The point is the death and the misery and the terrible strain on health-care systems that tobacco creates.
Every step forward in implementing highly effective measures in the WHO FCTC and the Protocol actually saves lives and avoids terrible illnesses.
Perhaps the most important thing for those engaged in the tobacco pandemic response is to ensure that everything is joined up.
By that I mean ensuring that the whole-of-government approach we hear mentioned so often actually does bring different ministries and groups together for joint action.
For example, it means the Ministry of Health talking to the Ministry of Finance about tax rises and the need to resist tobacco industry pressure.
The more we talk to one another, the more effective we are.
The Convention Secretariat stands ready to work with the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific and its partners to support Parties in the Region.
I wish you well in your work and look forward to seeing you in Panama City.
Thank you.