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Tobacco industry has least influence on the UK, watchdog ranking reveals
October 10, 2019

10 October 2019Sarah Newey The first ever global index to track tobacco industry influence over public health policy has revealed that the UK is a world leader in efforts to curtail undue meddling. According to the report, published by the industry [...]

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Letter from New Zealand’s Ministry of Health on the international obligations under the WHO FCTC, Article 5.3
September 5, 2019

New Zealand Ministry of Health: 22 August 2019                  Download [...]

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E-Cigarettes: Tobacco industry misinformation on e-cigarettes, a ‘real threat’, says WHO
September 5, 2019

1 August 2019 – The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that e-cigarettes are “undoubtedly harmful”, and warned that misinformation spread by the tobacco industry in claiming that they are “safer” constitute “a present and real threat” to public health. The [...]

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Tobacco Ban on Facebook/Instagram must meet global standards
August 28, 2019

July 25 2019 – GGTC welcomes the Facebook / Instagram policy prohibiting users and groups from selling, transferring or gifting tobacco products including hookah, e-cigarettes, and tobacco paraphernalia; but finds that the policy falls short of global tobacco treaty standards. [...]

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WHO statement urging governments to ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship at international expositions
August 19, 2019

15 August 2019 Source: World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement calling upon governments to enforce their obligation under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article 13 to enforce comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising [...]

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Tobacco Grants returned by Bangladesh NGO BRAC
August 15, 2019

August 14 2019 – On July 31, Bangladeshi tobacco control advocates announced that BRAC, a world-leading non-government organization (NGO) from Bangladesh, has returned funds worth USD 64,151 that they had received as a grant from the Philip Morris International (PMI)-funded [...]

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Health Groups: “Protect UN/ SDGs from Tobacco Industry”
August 6, 2019

July 20 2019 On 19 July 2019, Stopping Tobacco Organizations & Products (STOP) , a global watchdog, joined the Framework Convention Alliance (FCA), Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) in  issuing a letter asking [...]

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Michael Bloomberg na Campanha Contra o Cigarro
July 30, 2019

30 July 2019Asia Comentada Quando Michael Bloomberg (foto) reforça a luta contra o uso do cigarro usando um banco de dados online, há que se admirar um empresário como ele, cuja atividade principal está ligada à comunicação social. Um artigo [...]

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Philip Morris funded Foundation is more PR than research acc to Tobacco Watchdog
July 30, 2019

June 12 2019: The first analysis of the 2018 tax return of the Philip Morris International (PMI) funded Foundation for a Smoke Free World (FSFW), revealed that most of the Foundation’s funding activities have gone more into public relations (PR) than into scientific researches; [...]

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Irish retailers lobby group accused of cosying up with Big Tobacco
July 28, 2019

28 July 2019Barry J WhyteThe Business Post Anti-tobacco body funded by Bloomberg points finger at Retailers Against Smuggling Read more [...]

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Joint Letter to the UN SG Re: The role of the tobacco industry in the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development
July 26, 2019

26 July 2019Center for Combating Tobacco Framework Convention Alliance together with ASH: Action on Smoking & Health, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and STOP (Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products – Vital Strategies, Tobacco-Free Union, Tobacco Control Research Group at University of [...]

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Staff Spotlight on… Phil Chamberlain, Managing Editor of Tobacco Tactics
July 26, 2019

26 July 2019Bath University We spoke tobacco control, darts, and Nellie Bly. Warm up: How long have you worked at the Uni? What does your role involve? I started in April 2019 when I joined STOP (Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products) to [...]

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Tobacco industry interference holds back efforts to stamp out smoking
July 26, 2019

26 July 2019Anne GullandTelegraph Tobacco industry interference with government policy is hampering global efforts to stamp out smoking, a new report warns.  A study by the World Health Organization looking at global progress towards ending the “tobacco epidemic” shows that many countries [...]

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136 Countries Now Have Tobacco Control Policies; Progress Slow On Smoking Cessation Services
July 26, 2019

26 July 2019David BraniganHealth Policy Watch The last decade has seen dramatic progress in the fight against tobacco, with some 136 countries having implemented policies such as smoking bans in public places, higher taxes or graphic packaging on tobacco products. [...]

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STOP Tobacco Industry Watchdog exposes Industry Allies that undermine public health
July 26, 2019

26 July 2019Bio Spectrum India A new database released by STOP (Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products) reveals dozens of groups from around the world aiding the tobacco industry in its considerable efforts to subvert public health policies. These tobacco industry allies act [...]

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Michael Bloomberg reforça luta contra cigarro com banco de dados on-line
July 26, 2019

26 July 2019Alice HancockValor Uma plataforma on-line que traz uma lista de empresas que contribuem para promover a indústria tabagista é o mais recente esforço de uma iniciativa de US$ 20 milhões, financiada pelo bilionário americano Michael Bloomberg, para fazer [...]

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WHF and partners call on UN Secretary General to reject proposal for a “more nuanced” relationship with tobacco industry
July 25, 2019

25 July 2019World Heart Federation Secretary General Antonio GuterresUnited Nations, S-233New York, NY 10027 Dear Secretary-General Guterres, On behalf of the members of the Global Coalition for Circulatory Health, we are writing to you because we are deeply concerned by a [...]

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SFP supports joint letter to the UN SG following a note on the role of the tobacco industry in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
July 22, 2019

22 July 2019Smoke Free Partnership SFP expresses its support for the letter sent on behalf of Action on Smoking & Health (ASH US), Framework Convention Alliance, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and STOP (Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products) to the UN [...]

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Vertrekkend VN-topfunctionaris neemt het op voor de tabaksindustrie
July 22, 2019

22 July 2019Tabaknee Michael Møller, hoofd van het VN-hoofdkwartier in Genève, heeft op zijn laatste werkdag een brief voor zijn opvolger achtergelaten waarin hij voor Big Tobacco opkomt. De website Foreign Policy maakte de brief openbaar. Door de webredactie ‘De rol van [...]

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Tobacco workers to ILO: Quit tobacco industry
July 17, 2019

UNFAIRTOBACCO In an open letter to members of the International Labour Organisation’s Governing Body, tobacco workers demand that the ILO stops its cooperation with the tobacco industry. Here is the full text of the letter: 29 September 2017 Dear government [...]

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More than 100 organisations call on ILO not to renew tobacco industry contracts
July 17, 2019

Framework Convention Alliance Press Release 130 public health and sustainable development organizations from more than 60 countries have called on the International Labour Organization (ILO) not to renew or extend contracts that currently tie the ILO to an industry whose products [...]

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No Takers for Philip Morris’ Foundation for Smoke Free World Event
July 9, 2019

4 July 2019, Bangkok – The Foundation for Smoke Free World (FSFW)-backed event called Smoke Free Dialogue in Bangkok being convened by SustainAbility in Bangkok had been cancelled because “few attendees confirmed”, according to the organizers’ response to invitees. Prof. [...]

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India heightens efforts to protect health policies against tobacco industry vested interests
July 8, 2019

On 24 June 2019, the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a letter signed by Additional Secretary Sanjeeva Kumar, to all state governments in India, underlining India’s obligation under the WHO FCTC Article 5.3 to protect public health policies [...]

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Philip Morris Thailand denies involvement in activities of Foundation for a Smoke-Free World
July 4, 2019

4 July 2019The Nation Tobacco giant Philip Morris has denied accusations it controls the activities of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, despite funding the organisation. Philip Morris Trading (Thailand)’s Pongsathorn Ansusinha said: “Neither Philip Morris Thailand nor Philip Morris [...]

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Big Tobacco moves back into advertising
July 3, 2019

3 July 2019Sarah WeatonPolitico Ads from cigarette companies are reappearing on race cars, television and public billboards — as well as social media. This article is part of the special report: The Big Vaping Dilemma. It took decades, but tobacco companies [...]

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Public Statement in relation to the invitation to attend tobacco industry-backed ‘Smoke Free Dialogue’
July 1, 2019

GGTC received invitations for two officers to attend the Smoke Free Dialogue, an event organized by SustainAbility, which is funded by the Foundation for a Smoke Free World (FSFW), on July 25 in Bangkok, Thailand. It came to our knowledge [...]

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Uganda court curtails tobacco companies’ involvement in health
June 21, 2019

On 28 May 2019, Ugandan court junked a suit filed by British American Tobacco to challenge the constitutionality of Uganda’s Tobacco Control Act which came into force in 2016. The order recognized the tobacco companies’ tactics of thwarting policies such [...]

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The 5.3 Knowledge Hub and the Convention Secretariat host key meetings in Thailand
June 20, 2019

The Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC), as the WHO FCTC Secretariat’s Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3, and the WHO FCTC Secretariat hosted two consecutive meetings in May 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand: the 4th meeting of the [...]

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Brazil sues tobacco companies to recoup healthcare costs
June 20, 2019

On 21 May 2019, the Brazilian government filed a lawsuit against two major tobacco companies to recover healthcare costs due to top 26 diseases scientifically proven to be linked with cigarette smoking. It also seeks moral damages and anticipated health [...]

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Beverly Hills Ends Tobacco Game
June 20, 2019

A city that is home to famous celebrities and known for luxury hotels and shopping has announced an end date for tobacco sales. By January 1, 2021, there will be a ban on the sale of most tobacco products in [...]

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Shameless and blameless: how big tobacco is trying to dupe everyone — and what SARS should do about it
June 12, 2019

Michael Eads, Hana Ross and Savera Kalideen, Daily Mavrick:  Big tobacco’s public relations campaign around the intention by SARS to clamp down on tobacco supply chains should come as no surprise. It comes straight out of their playbook used around [...]

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State of Kerala adopts a comprehensive policy on FCTC Article 5.3
May 24, 2019

23 May 2019, Bangkok – The State of Kerala in India has adopted a comprehensive policy to protect its policies against the tobacco industry’s commercial and vested interests. The policy is to be overseen by an intergovernmental committee which involves [...]

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Grand Prix of France of Le Mans: Justice gives right to the CNCT and prevents the return of Philip Morris on the circuits
May 20, 2019

CNCT, Press Release: The French justice has just subjected the multinational tobacco company Philip Morris a stinging defeat by giving a stop to its attempt to return to motorsport, including the sponsorship of Ferrari cars and Ducati motorcycles. Commissioned by the [...]

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Big Tobacco’s shadowy new play
May 20, 2019

The Sydney Morning Herald, Tim Elliott: With health authorities stubbing out much of Big Tobacco’s business, and vaping on the rise, one of the industry’s biggest players says it plans to stop selling cigarettes. Is that just hot air? Filipinos [...]

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WHO official: With e-cigarettes, the tobacco industry just ‘changed clothes’
April 8, 2019

EURACTIV.com: Sarantis Michalopoulos This article is part of our special report Tobacco control: What’s next?. In an interview with EURACTIV.com, Dr Vera Luiza da Costa, the head of secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), has criticised the [...]

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Piers Morgan ridicules Philip Morris boss for ‘staggeringly hypocritical’ campaign to ‘end smoking’ with help of less harmful alternatives – despite still selling cigarettes
April 8, 2019

Mail Online: Lara Keay The boss of one of the world’s largest cigarette companies has urged Britons to stop smoking.  Peter Nixon is the UK managing director for Philip Morris, which produces 800 billion cigarettes across the world every year.  [...]

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The cost of defeating Philip Morris over cigarette plain packaging
April 3, 2019

The Sydney Morning Herald: Pat Ranald Australia scored a victory over the tobacco giant Philip Morris in the High Court in 2012. The court held that Australia’s plain cigarette packaging laws were legal and did not constitute an unjust confiscation of trademarks [...]

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WHO rejects collaboration with Philip Morris-funded foundation
March 27, 2019

Public health round-up: World Health Organization WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus rejected a collaboration proposal from the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, funded by PhilipMorris International. The foundation proposed that WHO “review and consider how best to work with the [...]

Global Practices News

STOP’s letter to the OECD Secretary General
March 21, 2019

20 March 2019 Angel Gurria Secretary-General Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Dear OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria: We, the leadership of STOP, a global tobacco industry watchdog, write to express our grave concern that a Philip Morris International [...]

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Tobacco and E-Cigarette Lobbyists Circle as F.D.A. Chief Exits
March 16, 2019

The New York Times: Sheila Kaplan and Matt Richtel Dr. Scott Gottlieb became commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration in 2017 with an ambitious plan to reduce cigarette smoking, a habit that kills nearly half a million Americans each year, by [...]

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Explained: Why a Philip Morris Funded Foundation Is Repeatedly Denounced by WHO
March 12, 2019

The Wire: Anoo Bhuyan The WHO has refused to partner with any foundation that is funded by the tobacco industry to ensure policies are protected from commercial interests. New Delhi: Last week, the innocuously named Foundation for a Smoke Free World [...]

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Commentary: Philip Morris Says It Wants to Quit Cigarettes. But It’s Just Blowing Smoke.
March 12, 2019

Fortune: Matthew L. Myers and Robin Koval   Philip Morris International (PMI)—the giant cigarette manufacturer operating in most countries excluding the U.S.—claims it wants a smoke-free future, placing advertisements in major United Kingdom newspapers earlier this week with a New Year’s [...]

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Big Tobacco is no friend to Women – INWAT
March 8, 2019

The International Network of Women against Tobacco (INWAT) calls out the Phillip Morris International (PMI) “Week of Women,” – a so-called celebration of International Women’s Day a hoax. PMI has a renowned and infamous history of marketing to women and [...]

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Quebec Court of Appeal upholds ruling in landmark tobacco class-action
March 7, 2019

Allison Lampert and Martinne Geller, The Global and Mail: The Court of Appeal of Quebec upheld on Friday the bulk of a 2015 decision that awarded around C$15 billion ($11.29 billion)to smokers in the Canadian province, dealing a blow to [...]

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Quebec Court of Appeal upholds ruling ordering tobacco companies to pay billions to smokers
March 7, 2019

Kalina Laframboise, Global News: Quebec’s highest court has upheld a historic ruling that ordered three major cigarette companies to pay billions in damages to smokers in the province. Imperial Tobacco, JTI-Macdonald and Rothmans, Benson & Hedges were appealing a Quebec [...]

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Putrajaya warned against working with tobacco industry-funded lobby groups Draft
February 22, 2019

20 February 2019 KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 ― The Malaysia Medical association (MMA) has warned the federal government today against working with groups that are stealthily being funded by tobacco companies. In a press statement, MMA said they stand with [...]

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Over 100 health organisations urge WHO to reject Philip Morris International-led body’s appeal to collaborate on tobacco control
February 11, 2019

New Delhi: Public health experts from over 100 organisations around the world on Tuesday urged the World Health Organisation Executive Board (WHO-EB) to reject a Philip Morris International-funded foundation’s appeal to the global health body to collaborate on tobacco control policies. To do so would depart from WHO’s strict longstanding policy [...]

Global Practices News

Open Letter to Urge WHO Executive Board to Reject Foundation for a Smoke Free World (FSFW)
January 28, 2019

28th January 2019 To the Director General and Executive Board of the World Health Organization, We write to you, as members of the global public health community, to express our grave concern at the attempt by the Philip Morris International-funded [...]

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How tobacco industry donations cloud debates over cigarette controls
January 24, 2019

Free-market thinktanks from Malaysia to Chile and Australia received funding from the industry alongside governments as they argued against tobacco controls Smoking kills more than 27,200 Malaysians every year. In March 2017, Malaysia’s health ministry hoped to reduce that grim tally by [...]

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Revealed: the free-market groups
January 24, 2019

More than 100 free-market thinktanks from North America to Europe and south Asia took positions helpful to the tobacco industry or donations, Guardian investigation shows Free-market thinktanks around the world provide a powerful voice of support to cigarette manufacturers in [...]

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Scientists Are Rejecting Massive Amounts Of Money For Research From The Tobacco Industry
December 6, 2018

Scientists don’t want tobacco industry funds to touch their work. Multiple Australian researchers have asserted that they will not accept funding or support from a tobacco industry–funded research organisation in an editorial published today. The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW) is [...]

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The truth about lobbying: 10 ways big business controls government
December 4, 2018

Tamasin Cave and Andy Rowell The Guardian From trying to stop plain packaging on cigarettes to pushing through HS2 and opening the countryside to fracking, big business employs lobbying companies to persuade government to meet their interests. But what are the [...]

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E-cigarettes—new product, old tricks
December 1, 2018

Tobacco smoking cessation represents one of the most successful public health initiatives in the world, with smoking prevalence at its lowest during the past decade according to recent WHO estimates. However, since the introduction of e-cigarettes in 2003, marketed as a [...]

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Tobacco Industry Ploys
November 30, 2018

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US seeks $289bn in tobacco claim
November 15, 2018

19 March 2003: BBC News The US Justice Department is suing the world’s leading tobacco companies for $289bn (£184.5bn) of their profits for the alleged fraudulent marketing of cigarettes. A court filing by the US government claims the companies lied [...]

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Malawi: Tobacco Industry Accused of Engaging Children
November 15, 2018

21 Mar 2002 Hamilton Vokhiwa All Africa Nairobi — The Malawi tobacco industry has come under renewed pressure to stop using child labour and to make way for other more economic crops in the country. Tobacco accounts for a significant [...]

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Enticing Third World Youth; Big Tobacco Is Accused Of Crossing an Age Line
November 15, 2018

24 Aug 2001 Greg Winter The New York Times Sara Bogdani had just turned 17 last summer when she slipped into a short skirt and started working as a Marlboro girl. While the rest of her high school friends spent [...]

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Tobacco giant says sorry to Czechs
November 15, 2018

27 Jul 2001 Michael Ellison The Guardian Philip Morris, the US tobacco giant behind Marlboro cigarettes, has apologised for funding a widely derided survey that found that the early deaths of smokers helped governments to save money. “All of us [...]

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Smoking Can Help Czech Economy, Philip Morris-Little Report Says
November 15, 2018

16 July 2001 Gordon Fairclough The Wall Street Journal Cigarette Smokers’ Frequent Early Deaths Offset Federal Medical Costs, Study Finds Philip Morris Cos. officials in the Czech Republic have been distributing an economic analysis concluding that cigarette consumption isn’t a [...]

Tobacco Industry Ploys

The tobacco industry plays price games to make it even tougher to quit smoking
November 9, 2018

By J. Robert Branston, Anna Gilmore, Rosemary Hiscock Source: The Conversation It is thought about two in three smokers want to kick their deadly habit, and with good reason – the same proportion of them are believed to die prematurely because of smoking. [...]

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WHO vows tighter, broader actions against tobacco, industry interference
October 30, 2018

Editor: Mu Xuequan Xinhua GENEVA, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) — The World Health Organization (WHO) unveiled a global strategy on Saturday to scale up the tobacco control agenda over the next few years and to prevent further interference by tobacco industry [...]

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COP8 adopts important decision on WHO FCTC Article 5.3
October 15, 2018

On 6 October 2018, the eighth session of the WHO FCTC (COP8) adopted important decision that will strengthen the implementation of Article 5.3 and protect public health measures from tobacco industry interference. Among the issues included in this decision are: [...]

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Side event on tackling tobacco industry interference held at COP8
October 8, 2018

Delegates from Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, and Thailand, in collaboration with the Corporate Accountability and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) Secretariat’s Knowledge Hub on Article 5.3 at the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control [...]

News In Brief Tobacco Industry Interference

Top Cancer Researcher Fails to Disclose Corporate Financial Ties in Major Research Journals
September 20, 2018

By Charles Ornstein and Katie Thomas: The New York Times [...]

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Saudi Arabia tells WTO it plans to adopt plain tobacco packaging
September 20, 2018

By Tom Miles; editing by David Stamp: Reuters [...]

Tobacco Industry Ploys

Big Tobacco is consistently overstating black market in cigarettes – new findings
September 19, 2018

By: Allen Gallagher, Anna Gilmore Source: The Conversation What’s the size of the black market in tobacco and who is behind it? These questions have dogged governments, public health advocates, researchers and the tobacco industry for years. The world’s biggest tobacco companies [...]

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GGTC Selected for Bloomberg Philanthropies STOP Grant
August 25, 2018

Source: Bloomberg Philanthropies Bloomberg Philanthropies selects Global Centre for Good Governance in Tobacco Control and two key partners to lead STOP: the Global Tobacco Industry Watchdog Bloomberg Philanthropies’ public health team  works with partners in low- and middle-income countries to reduce [...]

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Big Tobacco’s Global Reach on Social Media
August 24, 2018

Source: New York Times The tobacco industry says it no longer tries to hook new generations of smokers. So what’s behind the legions of beautiful young people in smoking, vaping and partying posts with the same hashtags? It’s been years since [...]

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Combat against devastating effects of tobacco can only be won ‘if the UN stands united’ – UN health official
August 24, 2018

Source: United Nations United Nations agencies must join forces at the policy level and refuse interference from tobacco companies in their programmes so the destructive impact of tobacco can be effectively addressed and lives can be saved, the head of [...]

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Professionals co-opted to back tobacco giants
August 22, 2018

19 August 2018: Source: Daily Maverick By Masutane Modjadji and Kerry Cullinan The tobacco industry is spending vast sums of money to fight government’s attempts to tighten smoking laws and regulate electronic cigarettes – and it has managed to recruit [...]

News In Brief Tobacco Industry Interference

Tobacco Industry Interference
August 18, 2018

Tobacco Industry Interference Year Region/ Country Topic Headline News Souce 2017 Australia Tobacco executive (of ATA International) donations to Labor Party Bill Shorten seeks explanation for reported $400,000 donations from tobacco boss The Guardian 2017 Congo, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Somalia, [...]

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Here Are The Leaders Of STOP: Bloomberg’s $20 Million Tobacco Watchdog
August 16, 2018

14 August 2018: Source: Forbes By: Bruce Y. Lee STOP has just started and aims to bring new meaning to the phrase “asking for a light,” when it comes to smoking. STOP is an acronym for a new $20 million Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative [...]

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Bloomberg targets Big Tobacco’s ‘underhanded tactics’
August 16, 2018

14 August 2018: Source: APF Billionaire former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday gave a trio of anti-tobacco crusaders $20 million to up their game against an industry aggressively marketing its deadly wares worldwide, especially in developing countries. The [...]

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Tobacco watchdog will provide industry monitoring and awareness
August 14, 2018

14 August 2018: Source: Bloomberg The Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP) competition was launched by Bloomberg Philanthropies at the World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Cape Town, South Africa. Prospective applicants could include up to three organizations as partners, but [...]

Declarations

17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health Declarations announced at conference close
August 9, 2018

Source: 17th World Conference On Tobacco Or Health Dr Harry Lando, Chair of the WCTOH Organizing Committee, announced eleven declarations of the 17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health. Thanking delegates, organizers and speakers for their contribution to the success of [...]

Global Practices

ILLICIT TRADE PROTOCOL: TOBACCO INDUSTRY PLAYERS
August 4, 2018

TRACK AND TRACE SYSTEMS AND THEIR PROPONENTS: THE LINKS WITH THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY  From Complicity in Cigarette Smuggling to Promoting so-called Solutions The Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (text here) will enter into force on 25 September [...]

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Australia wins landmark WTO ruling on plain tobacco packaging
August 4, 2018

28 June 2018: GENEVA (Reuters) – Australia triumphed on Thursday in a major trade dispute over its pioneering “plain” tobacco packaging law, with World Trade Organization judges rejecting a complaint brought by Cuba, Indonesia, Honduras and Dominican Republic. The WTO [...]

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Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products is live!
August 4, 2018

28 JUNE 2018 | GENEVA – Yesterday, 27 June 2018, the conditions for the entry into force of the first legally binding instrument adopted under the WHO FCTC were met, paving the way to eliminate illicit trade of tobacco products The [...]

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Government orders Phillip Morris to stop advertising “healthier” tobacco products or face legal action
July 20, 2018

18 July 2018: Source: The Telegraph he Government will take one of the world’s largest tobacco firms to court unless it stops illegally targeting UK consumers with tobacco adverts, a Minister has said. Yesterday the Department of Health sent a [...]

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World’s biggest tobacco firm under fire over ‘disgraceful’ PR stunt
July 20, 2018

19 July 2018: Source: The Guardian NHS staff told to reject offer by makers of Marlboro cigarettes to help them quit smoking The world’s biggest tobacco firm has been accused of staging “a disgraceful PR stunt” by offering to help [...]

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Minister snubs tobacco firm on meeting to discuss vaping
July 3, 2018

3 June 2018: Evidence on long-term safety of vaping not yet established, Minister tells JTI Ireland Ireland’s largest tobacco brand was snubbed by junior health minister Catherine Byrne when it sought a meeting to promote its vaping business in the Irish market. [...]

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WTO Tobacco Ruling Opens Door to New Plain-Packaging Laws
July 1, 2018

Source: Bloomberg By: Bryce Baschuk The World Trade Organization upheld Australia’s right to require cigarettes to be sold in plain packs without any logos in a landmark case that could usher in a new wave of global tobacco restrictions. A panel [...]

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The Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products is live!
June 30, 2018

Source: World Health Organization Press release 28 JUNE 2018 | GENEVA – Yesterday, 27 June 2018, the conditions for the entry into force of the first legally binding instrument adopted under the WHO FCTC were met, paving the way to eliminate [...]

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Cabo Verde had released a brochure on civil servants’ responsibilities under Article 5.3
June 7, 2018

Source: Minsaude Cabo Verde had released a brochure (Portuguese) to alert civil servants about their responsibilities under Article 5.3. The brochure refers to the eight principles of Article 5.3 and the effects of tobacco use on society. It highlights how the [...]

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Insight: Pakistan diluted proposed tobacco health warnings after Philip Morris, BAT lobbying
May 30, 2018

29 May 2018 ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Philip Morris International Inc and British American Tobacco Plc lobbied Pakistan’s government to not implement bigger health warnings on cigarette packs, in what officials say was part of an industry-wide campaign that successfully [...]

Country Policies/ Practices News In Brief

Poland considers the Philip Morris International (PMI) funded Foundation for a Smoke-Free World as being part of the tobacco industry
February 13, 2018

13 February 2018: The Ministry of Health considers the Philip Morris International (PMI) funded Foundation for Smoke-Free World as being part of the tobacco industry. The MOH has sent a letter, dated 9 January 2018, to the Chancellor, Vice-Rectors and Deans of all medical schools [...]

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The new Philip Morris-funded Foundation for a Smoke-Free World: independent or not?
January 31, 2018

30 January 2018: In his 23 January BMJ blog, ‘Building a Foundation to accelerate an end to smoking’, Derek Yach again defends and promotes his new Philip Morris-funded Foundation for a Smoke-Free World. It is fair to say that Yach’s new [...]

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Good country practices in the implementation of WHO FCTC Article 5.3 and its guidelines
January 25, 2018

25 January 2018: This report provides a selection of advanced practices in implementing Article 5.3. It draws from a variety of Parties’ experiences, including those recommended in the guidelines. While some Parties have taken a whole-of-government approach, which is the [...]

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Launching of Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2017
December 13, 2017

27 November 2017: 2017 Tobacco Industry Interference Index was launched in Manila. Main findings show tobacco industry interference remains an impediment in fully implementing effective tobacco control measures under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in the ASEAN [...]

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FCTC Knowledge Hub on Article 5.3 launched
November 4, 2017

2 November 2017: The Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC) was officially launched in Bangkok. This GGTC is a WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3. The Center is a partnership program between the School of Global [...]

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Relevant information to the Parties to the WHO, FCTC in support of the implementation of Article 5.3 of the treaty
November 1, 2017

30 October 2017: The Convention Secretariat for the FCTC has issued a Note Verbale (NV) which calls upon Parties to remain vigilant to the tobacco industry’s efforts to undermine the implementation of Article 5.3. The NV highlights several issues including: [...]

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WCTOH Statement on PMI’s Foundation for a Smoke-free World
October 21, 2017

Source: WCTOH 20 October 2017: Organisers of the 17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health make an explicit policy statement on conference participants: “Anyone affiliated with Philip Morris International’s Foundation for a Smoke-free World is ineligible to attend the 17th World [...]

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WHO Statement on the PMI Foundation
October 13, 2017

28 September 2017: Source: World Health Organization The World Health Organization issued a statement on the new Philip Morris new ‘Foundation for a Smoke-free World’ stating, The UN General Assembly has recognized a “fundamental conflict of interest between the tobacco industry [...]

Global Practices News In Brief

United Nation Global Compact Integrity Policy Update
September 14, 2017

12 September 2017: Source: United Nations Global Compact Following a comprehensive integrity review as part of its new 2030 strategy and vision, the United Nations Global Compact has enhanced its policies and procedures to more closely align with the broader [...]

Country Policies/ Practices CSR News In Brief

Thailand became the first country in Asia to ban tobacco industry related corporate social responsibility (CSR)
August 23, 2017

24 August 2017: Source: Department of Disease Control, Bureau of Tobacco Control, Thailand In July, Thailand became the first country in Asia to implement a ban on tobacco industry related corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. See law here. This is an important achievement [...]

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Inside Philip Morris’ campaign to subvert the global anti-smoking treaty
August 8, 2017

13 July 2017: Source: Reuters By: ADITYA KALRA, PARITOSH BANSAL, DUFF WILSON and TOM LASSETER The world’s largest publicly traded tobacco company is deploying its vast resources against international efforts to reduce smoking. Internal documents uncovered by Reuters reveal details of the secret operation. [...]

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Policy makers to keep off tobacco industry
June 27, 2017

26 June 2017: The Bihar state government has issued a notification prohibiting tobacco industry representatives from directly accessing its officials engaged in developing policies and rules regarding implementation of tobacco control laws. Instead, the industry would have to now approach [...]

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ECOSOC adopts resolution to prevent TI interference
June 16, 2017

7 June 2017: The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has adopted a resolution for members of the Inter-Agency Task Force (UNIATF) on NCDs to develop and implement policies that prevent tobacco industry interference. The Resolution has a paragraph that [...]

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Danish Institute for Human Rights tells PMI: “Stop production & marketing of tobacco
May 29, 2017

23 May 2017: Source: Danish Institute for Human Rights The Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR), a quasi-state body, was asked by Philip Morris International (PMI) last year to conduct a human rights assessment on it. The DIHR has completed the [...]

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ITIC cuts ties with Big Tobacco
May 25, 2017

19 May 2017: Source: Financial Times The International Tax and Investment Center (ITIC) has reportedly cut its ties with the transnational tobacco companies. According to a Financial Times report on 19 May, ITIC had asked tobacco representatives to resign from [...]