April 30, 2024 – The fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) for a treaty to end plastic pollution was relatively grueling. Eight days (Weekend? What weekend?) with informal meetings for the three days leading up to the official start. ASH and its allies in the Stop Tobacco Pollution
April 28, 2024 – INC4 returned to full plenary for the first time in several days in order to discuss the possibility of intercessional work. Given the state of the draft text, it seems impossible to finish at INC5 in the absence of work over the next few months. –
April 27, 2024 – It is the fifth day of negotiations and fatigue is becoming evident as sessions go to 11:00pm and later, and the weekend brings no respite. Working groups are deep in text negotiations. And both contact groups that are negotiating our major interests will begin to move
April 26, 2024 – The third and fourth days of negotiations were spent discussing the minutiae of critical sections of the treaty. The highlight of the day came when Peru called for cigarette filters to be banned. Panama quickly supported them. Other notable news: – Switzerland, supported by four other
April 24, 2024 – Today the INC broke into groups to begin the arduous task of editing the zero draft. Even on the second day, the need for quick progress was recognized, and negotiations continued throughout the evening hours. This is when the work becomes a marathon; large delegations have
April 23, 2024 – Today was the opening of INC-4 and began with the opening plenary. The Chair – Luis Vayas Valdivieso of Ecuador – asked that delegations not make typical opening statements in order to save time. All the countries that produce oil or plastic precursor chemicals did so
April 22, 2024 – The fourth round of negotiations for the UN Treaty to End Plastic Pollution formally begins tomorrow, April 23rd, here in Ottawa. There has already been enough preliminary activity and speeches to warrant an early update. But it’s not great. As you may recall, ASH and our
November 20, 2023 – INC-3 adjourned on Sunday, November 19th with a decision for the Secretariat to provide a revised zero draft text. The text will be available by December 31, 2023 and will serve as the subsequent document to be negotiated at INC-4, which will be held from April 21-30,
November 17, 2023 – The contact groups continued with the publication of the written submissions and revised synthesis documents. The Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance (STPA) and its allies spent much of the day reviewing everything as we were able. (Available online for those following along). Today’s debates centered around how and
By: Laurent Huber, Executive Director of ASH I have now spent over two decades working on UN treaties and international processes with the aim of ending the negative health, social and economic consequences of tobacco products, and I am often asked: why? Why don’t you just concentrate at the local
Fighting tobacco product waste: Holding tobacco industry accountable for its environmental footprint June 2, 2022 – Tobacco control experts, including ASH’s Executive Director Laurent Huber, and environmental advocates from around the world join our roundtable discussion, hosted by the World Health Organization, the WHO FCTC Secretariat, and the UN Environment
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
Author: Vivienne Brandt, ASH Policy and Communications Intern In 2003, the World Health Organization concluded negotiations of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which reaffirmed the right of all people to the highest attainable standard of health. This international treaty lays out the best practices to end the tobacco
Access to Smoking Cessation Support is a Human Right ASH and ICTC Release a Report in Advance of World No Tobacco Day, May 31st Contact: Megan Arendt arendtm@ash.org | (202) 390 – 9513 WASHINGTON, DC – May 18, 2021 – Legally-binding human rights norms implore or require governments to protect
Statement of Laurent Huber, Executive Director of Action on Smoking and Health Washington, DC – January 21, 2021 – Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) applauds President Biden for rejoining the World Health Organization (WHO), within hours of taking the oath of office. Membership in the WHO is important at any
November 11, 2020 With COP9 postponed one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) released this new publication: Global Strategy to Accelerate Tobacco Control: Advancing sustainable development through the implementation of the WHO FCTC 2019 – 2025 The Secretariat
Why does this year’s World No Tobacco Day matter to children? By: Atul, Grade X, Chennai, India Every year, 31 May is observed as World No Tobacco Day by the World Health Organization (WHO) and this year’s theme is ‘protecting youth from industry manipulation and preventing them from tobacco and
Statement from Action on Smoking & Health Leaving and Halting Funding to the World Health Organization Harms More Than the COVID-19 Response* Contact: Megan Arendt arendtm@ash.org (202) 659-4310 WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 7, 2020 – On April 14, 2020, President Trump ordered his administration to halt funding to the World
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
In addition to global mechanisms and international human rights treaty bodies, there are several regional bodies. They are responsible for the human rights in their respective regions, and therefore, can be very useful for advocates living and working in those regions. Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) The Inter-American Commission
This global mechanisms section encompasses official documents including resolutions, statements, letters, and more that pertain to tobacco control and human rights at the international level, but do not fall under a human rights treaty body. UN Statements, Resolutions and Declarations Relevant to Tobacco Control and Human Rights UN Statements on
December 10 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. It’s also the world’s
On September 13, a new chapter in the struggle against tobacco began with a surprise announcement. Philip Morris International, a multinational giant and marketer of Marlboro, the world’s most popular cigarette brand, has committed itself to fund a new entity, the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, with just shy of
All countries around the world, including the United States, have committed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to strengthen universal peace and eradicate poverty. The harms that tobacco products cause to society are well known. Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death,
