Tobacco growers downplay FCTC worries
The International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA) has allayed fears emanating from the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) saying the convention is just an international agreement and therefore not directly applicable at national level.
“It must be stated at this time that while parties who have ratified the FCTC are obligated under this international treaty to implement the various articles, the FCTC is an international agreement, not a legislative act,” said ITGA president Francois van der Merwe at Sun ‘N’ Sand Holiday Resort on Monday.
Van der Merwe, who is also chairperson and chief executive officer for the Tobacco Institute of Southern Africa (Tisa), was speaking when he addressed the 2013 Tobacco Industry Seminar through his presentation titled “The influence of global or regional dynamics on the tobacco industry.”
In May 2003 the World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted its first ever treaty, the FCTC of which Malawi is not yet party to.
The convention-which has in recent years threatened tobacco reliant economies such as Malawi-reflects the agreement among WHO member States on a set of international minimum standards for the regulation of tobacco use and the tobacco trade.
The Conference of the Parties (CoP) is the governing body of the WHO-FCTC which promotes, reviews and monitors the implementation of the FCTC.
But Van der Merwe, who acknowledged that tobacco is under attack and also under spotlight internationally, said the FCTC directly or indirectly affects the entire tobacco value chain, from grower to consumer.
“It [FCTC] is not directly applicable at the national level, it normally needs further legislative action by a national government to become law. It remains as a set of guidelines,” he added.
He reasoned that the guidelines agreed to at the CoP should be seen as recommendations that would also require governments to pass national legislation to effect their implementation.
The ITGA boss explained to the congress how FCTC working groups operate, stating that the various FCTC tobacco control articles are set against the backdrop of Article 5.3, which he said is largely misinterpreted and incorrectly applied by numerous FCTC and government officials.
The FCTC Article 5.3 states that in setting and implementing their public health policies with respect to tobacco control, parties shall act to protect these policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry in accordance with national law.
“The tobacco industry agrees that all good regulation and policy should be drafted without fear or favour. However, Article 5.3 is often quoted by health officials as the reason to exclude the tobacco sector completely from all engagement and consultation,” he said.
When he opened the seminar on Sunday evening, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security James Munthali noted that Malawi continues to be under pressure from FCTC guidelines but urged growers not to be discouraged by the guidelines.
