ATCC faults ITGA Declaration, urges African Health Ministers to Resist Tobacco Industry Interference

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May 31, 2013 – Africa Tobacco Control Consortium has debunked as “cheap propaganda and tobacco industry tactics”, the declaration of the International Tobacco Growers Association on tobacco farmers’ livelihood, calling it a “gimmick that will not hold”.

After a two-day ITGA Africa Regional Meeting this May, a statement on declaration of opposition issued from agricultural leaders from Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe claims the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) threatens the region’s jobs and local economies.

The Director of Africa Tobacco Control Regional Initiative, Mr Akinbode Oluwafemi in a response to ITGA declaration, has urged “Health Ministers in Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to resist all attempts by the Tobacco Industry to use the ITGA to undermine progress on implementation of the WHO FCTC in their countries”.

Reacting to ITGA’s claim about FCTC, the African coordinator of Framework Convention Alliance (FCA) Mr. Tih Armstrong Ntiabang warned that Africa will not allow any inch of interference from tobacco industry. He said “it is not a mere coincidence that such a propaganda is emanating from the ITGA at a time the whole continent is marking the World No Tobacco Day, and is standing together against the killer industry. We know tobacco industry tactics, and we will resist every inch of it”.

We consider the statement by Antonio Abrunhosa, chief executive officer of the International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA), that “there’s now a unified voice throughout Southern and East Africa that’s determined to protect the land, the jobs, and the communities sustained by tobacco farming”, as misleading and a deliberate attempt to raise opposition against the WHO Treaty, using tobacco farmers.

His statement is capable of creating the impression that African states that have taken leadership role in ensuring that the health of their citizens is protected by supporting provisions of the FCTC, do not have the welfare of the tobacco farmer at heart. On the contrary, we all as Africans, except the tobacco industry are stakeholders in this process, and we will not allow any group working in the interest the tobacco industry to undermine our collective efforts.

We wish to make it very clear that the FCTC does not in any way undermine the livelihood of any citizen, including the tobacco farmers. The particular proposed Articles (17 and 18) being referred to in the ITGA declaration, is not a threat to the region’s jobs and local economies as claimed in the declaration, but a “Provision of support for economically viable alternative activities” to tobacco farming, and “Protection of the environment and the health of persons”. These provisions will help improve the standard of living of tobacco farmers and increase their capacity to attain better economic stance.

The Africa Tobacco Control Consortium is a coalition of public health organizations focused on preventing a tobacco epidemic in Africa.

Source: www.atcri.org

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