Health Canada
www.hc-sc.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Conference of the Parties 2010
The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which came into force on February 27, 2005, is the world's first international public health treaty, negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO). Its purpose is to reduce the use of tobacco products worldwide by putting in place measures to control tobacco demand and supply via international cooperation.
Canada was the 38th country to ratify the FCTC. To date, 168 countries have ratified the Convention, making it one of the most embraced treaties in UN history.
Objective
The objective of the FCTC is to protect present and future generations from the health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco use and exposure through international tobacco control efforts.
Highlights of the FCTC include:
- Health warning messages on packaging.
- Eliminating misleading and/or deceptive terms on packaging.
- Regulating the contents and emissions of tobacco products, and information disclosures.
- Effective legislative or other measures to protect the public from exposure to tobacco smoke in designated places.
- Comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, or restrictions on all forms of tobacco promotion, and consideration of the elimination of cross-border advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
- Education, communication, training and public awareness programs on the health risks associated with tobacco, as well as the development and dissemination of science-based guidelines for promoting cessation of tobacco use.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) - the governing body of the FCTC which comprises all Parties to the Convention, has met three times. The fourth session of the Conference of the Parties, to be hosted by Uruguay, is scheduled for November 2010. Canada, a recognized leader in tobacco control, has attended all three sessions and has played an active role in developing most guidelines, namely those on packaging and labelling of tobacco products, cessation and awareness.
The following is a glimpse of the progress achieved to date:
- Guidelines have been adopted by the Conference of the Parties to assist countries in protecting the public from exposure to tobacco (Article 8), in addressing the packaging and labelling of tobacco products (Article 11), in implementing a comprehensive ban or restrictions on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (Article 13), and in protecting public health policies with respect to tobacco control from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry (Article 5.3).
- In 2007, the Conference of the Parties established an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) to develop and negotiate a protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products (Article 15).
- In addition, working groups continue to develop guidelines on product regulation (Articles 9 and 10); education, communication, training and public awareness (Article 12); and, demand reduction measures concerning tobacco dependence and cessation (Article 14).
The FCTC represents an unprecedented effort by countries at different levels of economic development to work together to respond effectively to the global growth in tobacco use and the burden of chronic diseases and death attributable to tobacco addiction. Canada has supported and actively participated in the negotiation and development of the FCTC from its inception and is proud of its record both at reducing tobacco use among Canadians and in collaborating with other countries and international organizations to achieve effective tobacco control worldwide.
What is expected at the fourth session of the Conference of the Parties in 2010?
At the fourth session of the COP, Parties will consider:
- A technical report prepared by the WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative relating to price and tax policies;
- Draft guidelines on the implementation of Articles 9 and 10 (regulating contents and emissions, and information disclosures), on the implementation of Article 12 (education, communication, training and public awareness) and on the implementation of Article 14 (demand reduction measures concerning tobacco dependence and cessation);
- Next steps on the draft protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products (Article 15);
- A progress report and, if possible, a first set of policy options and recommendations on economically sustainable alternatives to tobacco growing (Articles 17 and 18); and
- A report from the Convention Secretariat on measures to improve the comparability of data, to standardize collected data within and between Parties, to develop indicators and definitions, and to further harmonize with other data collection initiatives.
