Welcome
This is a sub-site maintained by Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada which is intended to facilitate the monitoring of the interaction of tobacco control measures with commercial trade agreements.
A growing number of trade challenges have intensified concerns about the ability of tobacco companies to abuse commercial law to delay or defeat public health measures to reduce tobacco use.
These concerns are reflected in the decisions of the 4th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention, held in Punta del Este, Uruguay in November 2010. Two specific decisions were taken at this meeting:
- The Punta del Este declaration (FCTC/COP4(5)) which reaffirmed the commitment of Parties to prioritize public health, expressed concern about the actions of the tobacco industry to undermine health measures and identified the need to share information on "the activities of the tobacco industry at a national or international level which interfere with the implementation of public health policies with respect to tobacco control."
- A decision calling for Cooperation between the Convention Secretariat and the World Trade Organization (FCTC/COP4(18)), which requested the development of a report for COP5 (in 2012) on how to achieve better cooperation with the WTO, and directed the FCTC Secretariat to monitor trade disputes and to facilitate information sharing.
We hope that this site will make it easier for public health workers to gain access to documentation on trade-related tobacco control issues.
You can help build and maintain this site. Please direct your
suggestions to: Cynthia Callard at Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada.