World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (abbreviated FCTC) is a treaty adopted unanimously by the 56th World Health Assembly on May 21, 2003. It became the world's first international public health treaty when it came into force on February 27, 2005. The treaty had been signed by 168 countries and is legally binding in 151 ratifying countries representing over 3 billion people. Notable non-parties (currently at 44) are Russia (which has not signed the treaty) and the United States of America (which have signed but not ratified the treaty).

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The objective of the treaty is "to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke."^[1] To this end, the treaty provides a framework of national, regional and international tobacco control measures, including the setting of broad limits on the production, sale, distribution, advertisement, taxation, and government policies towards tobacco.

The treaty is sponsored by the World Health Organization, an intergovernmental agency of the United Nations System dedicated to public health and whose global headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland.

The tobacco industry has sought to reduce the influence of this treaty but with limited success. Most nations worldwide are finding that ever larger numbers of their citizens are getting ill and dying of lung cancer, emphysema, and heart disease as one of the causes related to the use of the product or to secondhand smoking. Since national health systems in many nations pay for treatment of these diseases, there is a strong financial incentive for governments to control spending on health and thus discourage tobacco use.

Requirements

Significant provisions of the treaty require that parties implement the following measures:

Topic	Measure	Articles
Secondhand smoke	Obligation to protect all people from exposure to tobacco smoke in indoor workplaces, public transport and indoor public places.	Article 8
Product regulation and ingredient disclosure	The contents and emissions of tobacco products are to be regulated and ingredients are to be disclosed.	Articles 9 and 10
Packaging and labeling	Large health warning (at least 30% of the packet cover, 50% or more recommended); deceptive labels ("mild", "light", etc.) are prohibited.	Article 11
Tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship	Comprehensive ban, unless the national constitution forbids it.	Article 13
Illicit trade	Action is required to eliminate illicit trade of tobacco products.	Article 15

Furthermore, tobacco tax increases are encouraged (so as to reduce consumption, in particular by young people) and duty-free sales are discouraged. (Article 6)

References

^ WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; Article 3, Objective

Category: World Health Organization

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