Good afternoon!
It is a pleasure to address you on this important occasion, as we sign a Memorandum of Understanding to further develop the work of the WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3.
I must begin by offering a special thank you to the President of Mahidol University, Professor Banchong Mahaisavariya, to the Rector of Thammasat University, Associate Professor Gasinee Witoonchart, and to the Dean of School of Global Studies at Thammasat University, Assistant Professor Dr Prapaporn Tivayanond Mongkhonvanit.
My special thanks also go to the Executive Secretary of the Action on Smoking and Health Foundation, Professor Prakit Vatheesatokkit, and the Director of WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3, Professor Dr Nuntavarn Vichit-Vadakan, as well as other distinguished colleagues who have done so much to contribute to this special day.
We are thrilled to see this new development in the WHO FCTC’s global network of knowledge hubs, with the creation of this partnership between Thammasat University and Mahidol University to work on Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which focuses on protecting tobacco control policies from the harmful influence of the tobacco industry.
The Article 5.3 Knowledge Hub will continue to be hosted at Thammasat University's School of Global Studies, as it has been since 2017, but will now have the support and expertise of not just one, but rather two top-ranked universities.
During that time, the work of the Article 5.3 Knowledge Hub has spanned the globe by providing technical assistance, policy briefs and other critical publications, developing toolkits, and serving as a clearinghouse for information exposing how tobacco industry tactics are used to influence public health policies.
It is, of course, a key priority of our global tobacco control community to assist Parties in implementing Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC, promoting good governance and policy coherence in tobacco control, and preventing tobacco industry interference in public health policies.
It's hard to think of a better home for this work than Thailand, which has long been a leader in the global tobacco control effort.
Thailand was an early signatory to the Convention in 2004 and now has integrated policies that are helping to tackle the tobacco epidemic and reduce prevalence.
You know better than I that these policies are needed, since 21% of Thais are tobacco users, including 15% of those aged 13 to 15 years old.
Knowing how worrying this is, I’d like to highlight the importance of implementing comprehensive tobacco control measures – including the WHO FCTC Article 15 obligation to implement appropriate measures to address illicit trade in tobacco products – and the value of joining other WHO FCTC Parties in adopting the Protocol on Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, which would strengthen the effectiveness of all tobacco control measures.
One of our aims is to work with the Government to ensure coordination of tobacco control policies across all ministries and with all stakeholders to ensure policy is aligned and optimized for the most positive outcomes.
This is not the case in every country, which means there is still a huge amount of work to do.
Every year, eight million people globally die either due to tobacco use or exposure to second-hand smoke.
And every year, the tobacco industry works to replace those it has killed with new addicts – as young as they can lure them – especially in low- and middle-income countries, which are least able to counteract its harmful influence.
And year after year, Parties to the Convention refer to tobacco industry interference as the biggest challenge in their implementation of the WHO FCTC.
The tobacco industry is well-resourced and has for decades used those resources to influence those in the corridors of power in particular and public opinion more generally.
The industry knows that the WHO FCTC works, and that is the reason why it wants to weaken the laws and policies that support its implementation.
Increasing awareness of the many ways in which the tobacco industry exerts its influence and distorts the truth is the focus of the work of this Article 5.3 Knowledge Hub.
I can say with confidence that this Knowledge Hub has done some excellent work over the past six years.
Article 5.3 is just 35 words long – but along with its Guidelines for implementation – it is central to the effectiveness of the Convention.
Why?
Because Article 5.3 recognizes the damage done by an industry indifferent to public health, an industry eager to prioritize profits over people’s health by blocking any policy designed to reduce the demand for – and supply of – its harmful products.
The evidence gathered by the Article 5.3 Knowledge Hub, by the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC and by its 182 Parties, as well as by other tobacco control stakeholders around the world, is clear – the tobacco industry continues to interfere in almost every conceivable way to confound the aims of the Convention and to sidestep the implementation of Article 5.3.
The tobacco industry has done, does and will keep doing everything possible to counter our work: using paid agents, distorting science, spreading misinformation by insisting the economy will suffer without tobacco, and falsely claiming that tobacco control will hurt farmers and their families – when it is the very growing of tobacco that is hurting them the most.
The industry amplifies its many untruths and distortions in public forums, hoping to persuade policy-makers to water down important and lifesaving tobacco control measures.
The unfortunate fact is that too often, these industry tactics work.
That’s why we must help organize a united effort by organizations and individuals committed to protecting public health policy.
The Global Strategy to Accelerate Tobacco Control, adopted in 2018 by the governing body of the Convention – the Conference of the Parties or COP – among its objectives calls in general for the strengthening the network of knowledge hubs to support the Convention Secretariat and Parties in implementing specific technical areas of the Convention, as well as the decisions of the COP to the WHO FCTC and particularly in implementing Article 5.3 and monitoring tobacco industry activities at national and international levels.
More broadly, these efforts also assist in meeting the objectives of the Goal 3.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals on decreasing premature mortality from NCDs through Target 3.a, which calls for strengthening implementation of the WHO FCTC in all countries, as appropriate.
There is always more work to do in combatting the global tobacco epidemic.
But never lose sight of the fact that the Convention is working.
Globally, tobacco prevalence has dropped from 33.3% in 2000 to 24.9% in 2015, and it is expected to fall to around 20.9% by 2025.
Our work on Article 5.3 enabled this to happen. Without it, the figures might be very different and the consequences much worse.
So, let’s keep at it.
This is a vital effort!
Thank you.