“Health is a fundamental human right indispensable for the exercise of other human rights. Every human being is entitled to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health conducive to living a life in dignity.” – the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
When we talk about human rights at ASH, we are talking about this right to health which has been recognized at the highest level of international law and codified through Human Rights treaties.
Selling and marketing tobacco products that damage health and kill when used as intended is a gross violation of the very fundamental right to health.
In 2022, to protect you, your loved ones and the rest of us from the harm caused by tobacco ASH will:
(1) Promote the local implementation of evidence-based measures to reduce tobacco use. We will do this by continuing to inform you and colleagues about best practices, such as those that align with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
(2) Facilitate the usage of global mechanism such as the UN Human Rights Council and other human rights treaty bodies to accelerate tobacco control strategies and expose tobacco industry interference in public health.
(3) Use the law to advance health. We will do this through our continued strategic involvement in litigation, such as our joint lawsuit against the FDA to phase out menthol cigarettes. We will continue exploring novel ways to use the law to hold the tobacco industry accountable through our criminal liability program.
(4) Serve as a platform to promote the concept of phasing out the sale of commercial, combustible tobacco products (what we call Project Sunset). In part thanks to our support, a number of jurisdictions in the U.S. and around the world have implemented or are considering implementing Sunset measures. In 2022 ASH will continue to organize activities to help accelerate the implementation of Sunset measures across the globe. We are at a pivotal time when a world where no one has to die because of tobacco is within reach.
Combined, ASH’s programs will protect our fundamental right to health from being harmed by the predatory behaviors of those who profit from selling harmful tobacco products.
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