IPS: Why Governments Must Prioritise Sustained Tobacco Control Investment in Low- & Middle-Income Nations

Ryan Forrest, policy and research adviser; Sara Rose Taylor, research officer; and Mafoya Dossoumon communications manager, all with the Framework Convention Alliance for Tobacco Control

 

“Trends in global consumption of cigarettes haven’t improved since the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) came into force, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) earlier this summer. Perhaps this is because the FCTC on its own is not a magic bullet. Governments have paid the issue of tobacco-use a lot of lip service but they have invested very little to match the global burden of the epidemic. Simply agreeing on what needs to be done (i.e. negotiating and ratifying the FCTC) will not on its own lead to reductions in tobacco use. What’s important is whether countries are adopting, implementing, and enforcing tobacco control laws and policies in line with their obligations under the treaty. … For sustainable development, there is much to be done. There will be little progress if there is no urgent action to reduce tobacco use in LMICs. It’s time for the international community to match the scale of the tobacco use problem with the resources and financing needed to enable progress” (9/3).