Sixth Session of the UN Ad Hoc Interagency Task Force on Tobacco Control

The sixth session of the United Nations Ad Hoc Interagency Task Force on Tobacco Control took place on 30 November and 1 December 2005 at the International Labour Office (ILO), Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting was co-hosted by the ILO and WHO.

The main subjects discussed included smoke-free workplaces, illicit trade of tobacco products, the link between tobacco control and economic development and issues regarding the preparations for the implementation of the WHO FCTC in countries. Also, the participants at the meeting defined an outline and the principal themes for the structure of the fourth report to ECOSOC.

The report will outline several recommendations, including the establishment of a smoke-free policy at the UN (including smoke-free indoor places and a ban of sales of tobacco products). Other recommendations are to ensure wider and stronger links with UN country teams to strengthen tobacco control and development work, and recommendations regarding the need to be very vigilant when it comes to the interaction between the UN and the tobacco industry.

The UN interagency task force is represented by a group of UN agencies and external organizations, including ILO, WHO, FAO, the World Bank, UNHCR, the World Customs Organization, EUROPOL, the European Commission, OLAF, UNICEF and UNESCO. The main role of the task force is the implementation of multisectoral collaboration on tobacco, with emphasis on development of strategies to address the social and economic implications of tobacco.

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