Vielen Dank, Rüdiger,
Your Excellency Minister Ali Mrabet,
Your Excellency Minister Kwaku,
Dr Line Vold,
Dr Reina Roa,
Ms Paula Johns,
Dr Adriana Blanco Marquizo,
I would like also to recognize the presence of Dr Bronwyn King,
Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
Twenty years ago, WHO Member States unanimously adopted the first public health treaty negotiated under the WHO Constitution – the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which was nicely presented in the video we just watched.
That’s why we also recognised the contribution of our former DG and former Prime Minister Dr Gro Harlem at the opening of the Assembly.
Today, the world is still benefiting from the impacts of this historic decision.
The WHO FCTC is an evidence-based treaty that represents a milestone in public health and provides new legal dimensions for international cooperation.
The negotiation and adoption of the convention may provide useful lessons to WHO Member States negotiating the new pandemic accord, and I hope by May 2024 we will have the second agreement in our history.
Tobacco is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced.
It kills more than eight million people a year, including more than one million from second-hand smoke.
Tobacco has massive costs for already over-strained health systems, and for economies, societies and the environment.
Tobacco industry interference, of course, has been a major hurdle since the beginning, and continues to be so.
A study last year in the journal Tobacco Control showed how tobacco companies are systematically advertising cigarettes to children near playgrounds, near schools in more than 40 low and middle-income countries.
By the way, this is not just limited to low- and middle-income countries; even in high-income countries, they are trapping our children.
The tactics, the strategies of the tobacco industry are impacting children at an early age. Many are starting to smoke at 12, 13, 14. And the industry tells us that this is harm reduction, e-cigarettes or vaping.
First of all, electronic cigarettes and vaping are harmful. But not only that, it’s a trap to recruit children at an early age, to make them their customers all their life.
Ask yourself, what sort of people market products they know are deadly to children? What kind of moral is this? To be honest, I’m really worried – not just this article, you can check many articles how children are being targeted.
It’s the responsibility of all of us as public health professionals, and as parents, to protect our children from the predatory tactics of the tobacco industry.
Lack of technical capacity and sustainable financing for tobacco control programmes also prevent effective implementation in many countries.
This is why WHO is calling for Member States to increase tobacco taxes, to drive down demand and to generate revenues which can be invested in health.
Next week, on the 31st of May, we will celebrate World No Tobacco Day. The theme for this year’s campaign is, “Grow food, not tobacco”.
It aims to raise awareness about alternative crop production for tobacco farmers, and encourage them to grow sustainable, nutritious crops, and for governments to end subsidies for tobacco farming.
The campaign exposes the tobacco industry’s efforts to interfere with the effort to switch to sustainable crops, which could help alleviate the global food crisis.
Let me conclude by highlighting three key areas of focus:
First, we urge all Member States to stand strong in their tobacco control efforts in the face of industry interference.
Second, we urge all Member States who are not yet party to the convention to ratify it.
Third, we urge all Member States to sign on to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.
And I ask all parents to protect their kids from the tobacco industry; it’s their responsibility.
Thank you all for your commitment to a tobacco-free future for our children and grandchildren.
I think we should say enough is enough.
I thank you.