Cigarettes are most commonly categorized as a health problem, but they are a huge environmental problem as well. The entire life cycle of a cigarette has an impact on the environment – from growing the tobacco to throwing away the butt and beyond. Tobacco growth and cultivation causes deforestation. Trees
Statement to the Fourth Human Rights Council intersessional meeting for Dialogue and Cooperation on Human Rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (18 January 2022) On behalf of Action on Smoking and Health and 30 signatory organizations I would like to take a moment to draw attention to the
“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
ASH’s work is based on the principle that the behavior of the tobacco industry – producing, marketing, and selling addictive products that kill when use as intended – violates human rights, such as the right to health, that have been recognized at the highest level through international, regional, and national legal
Every December 10th is Human Rights Day, and this year (2021) the theme is “Equality- Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights.” For ASH, this theme is very welcome, as we strive to center our tobacco control work around these principles. This year in particular, ASH has been focused on the intersection
The marketing and sale of tobacco products violate the right to health and life of all people globally The Right to Health The right to health was first internationally articulated in the 1946 World Health Organization (WHO) Constitution. The WHO preamble declares that “the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard
Written by Laurent Huber, Executive Director of Action on Smoking & Health and WCTOH Advisory Board Member 25 February 2021 In addition to being a Development challenge, the tobacco epidemic is also increasingly being identified as an obstacle to achieving human rights objectives that have been recognized at the highest
ASH’s work is based on the principle that the behavior of the tobacco industry, marketing and selling lethal and addictive products, violates human rights. As such, we carry out 4 key areas of work: (1) Phasing out the commercial sale of tobacco products (aka Project Sunset), (2) Using the law
Happy Human Rights Day! December 10th is International Human Rights Day, in observation of the day that the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This landmark document set out, for the first time, the inalienable rights which everyone is entitled to as a human being. Tobacco, and
ASH recently co-authored this BMJ Tobacco Control article on using human rights tools to strengthen cessation. To bring this new approach to more people, we are hosting a short Facebook Live with our Managing Attorney Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy and Martin Raw, Director of International Centre for Tobacco Cessation and Visiting Professor
ASH Executive Director Laurent Huber, Policy Director Chris Bostic, and Managing Attorney Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy published an article in the Oxford University Press: Nicotine & Tobacco Research, Volume 22, Issue 6, June 2020, Pages 1054–1055 noting that public health cannot be adequately approached without upholding basic human rights. Read their
ASH Webinar on Coronavirus, Human Rights and Tobacco April 2, 2020 Statement from Carolyn Dresler, MD, MPA Thank you for joining our webinar discussion on this important topic. A question that is pertinent to this webinar, is: what is the impact or effect of tobacco use on the diagnosis, treatment
ASH has been working tirelessly to use human rights tools to advance health around the world. Recently, we were invited to bring this work to Japan. While Japan joined the global tobacco treaty (the WHO Framework Conventional on Tobacco Control) in 2004, it is failing to adequately protect the health
Media Contact: Megan Arendt arendtm@ash.org (202) 390 – 9513 WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 3, 2019 – Today, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), in partnership with 14 civil society organizations, submitted a report to the United Nations’ Human Rights Council under its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process regarding the United
[Excerpt] The precise number of children involved in the tobacco industry is unknown but is thought to be in the tens of millions. More than 152m children are engaged in labour, 71 per cent of them in agriculture, ranging from tobacco to the cotton and sugar cane sectors. ‘In countries
GLOBAL FORUM ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND A TOBACCO-FREE WORLD 2019 ASH and our colleagues at Romania 2035 Tobacco-Free Generation Initiative, and the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention, along with the Romanian Presidency, hosted the first Global Forum on Human Rights and a Tobacco-Free World in the Cotroceni Palace
This Resolution came out of discussions that began at the Global Forum on Human Rights and a Tobacco-Free World on March 26, 2019 in Bucharest, Romania and continued at the annual European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention’s conference in Bucharest that week. Watch ASH’s video recap of the historic
A new study outlines why the tobacco and coal industries warrant “corporate death sentences.” ROBBY BERMAN 24 February, 2019 Read on BigThink.com
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis speaking at the Forum This unique and historic event brought together global leaders in human rights and public health to discuss ways to advance worldwide efforts to combat the tobacco epidemic. Learn more about this issue by reading our Primer. “Banning smoking in closed public spaces
Below are images and videos for use on social media. Please use them to share your support for addressing tobacco control through a human rights lens by posting these resources and tagging ASH on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @ASHorg and on Facebook @ASHglobalAction. Also, consider using the hashtags #TobaccoViolation and #HumanRights to share the message with a broader audience. Images
In our work, we spend a lot of time arguing for people’s rights. The right to be free from targeted advertising by the tobacco industry. The right to access cessation products. The right to be free from second hand smoke. The right to be free of addiction. We are also
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is the world’s first public health treaty. It was negotiated as the world’s response to the global tobacco epidemic. The FCTC was completed in 2003, and has now been joined by 180 countries and the European Community. Learn More About the FCTC
There are numerous other issues that provide legal or political precedent that can be applied to tobacco and human rights. Environment Environmental Issues that are Indirectly Relevant to Tobacco Climate Litigation against Companies: An Overview of Legal Arguments 2018- The Business and Human Rights Resource Center tracked 14 climate lawsuits
