EMR country profile

Involvement of The Eastern Mediterranean Region Member States’ in the WHO Framework Convention On Tobacco Control (FCTC) - related activities

On 24 May 1999, the World Health Assembly (WHA), the governing body of the World Health Organization (WHO), paved the way for multilateral negotiations to begin on a set of rules and regulations that will govern the global rise and spread of tobacco and tobacco products in the next century.

The 191-member WHA unanimously backed a resolution calling for work to begin on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) - a new legal instrument that could address issues as diverse as tobacco advertising and promotion, agricultural diversification, smuggling, taxes and subsidies. The WHA Member States established with the resolution No. WHO 52.18 both a FCTC Working Group and an Inter-governmental Negotiating Body (INB).

A record 50 nations took the floor to pledge financial and political support for the Convention. The list included the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, major tobacco growers and exporters, as well as several countries in the developing and developed world, which face the brunt of the tobacco industry's marketing and promotion pitch. The European Union and 5 NGOs also made statements in support of the Convention and the Director-General's leadership in global tobacco control.

Since then the work in developing the FCTC was divided into two stages: the first one was carried out by the FCTC working Group and that was to prepare proposed draft elements of the FCTC and to submit a report to the Fifty-Third World Health Assembly. The other stage is carried out now by the INB.

The first meeting of the FCTC Working Group took place in Geneva, October 1999. EMR was active at two levels in supporting the FCTC; the first level is the regional level where the Tobacco-Free Initiative (TFI) was invited since the year 1999 to participate in the “League of Arab States” meetings to present relevant facts related to the FCTC. The Health Ministers Council adopted several resolutions, requesting member states of the league to participate in the negotiations of the FCTC. The other level is the countries’ level, were sub-regional sessions and workshops were held to support the FCTC development and movement.

The following countries participated in the first session of the FCTC working group: Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen. Also, representatives of the League of Arab States as well as the HCGCC countries were present there.

In the second session of the FCTC working group, the following countries participated:  Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen. The HCGCC was present there.

In the first INB held in Geneva, 16 - 21 October 2000, the following countries participated: Cyprus, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen.

In the second INB held in Geneva, 30 April - 5 May 2001, the following countries participated: Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Tunisia.

The third INB held in Geneva, 22 November- 28 November 2001, the following member states were present: Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and UAE

The Region also hosted one important Consultation that has a direct link with the development of the FCTC.  This Consultation was held in Jordan, Amman, during February 2001, under the name of “WHO International Consultation on Litigation and Public Inquiry as Public Health Tools for Tobacco Control”

Iran was chosen by EMR Member States to be the coordinator of the activities related to FCTC.  Upon the Iranian government proposal, Iran hosted the first regional meeting on the FCTC, under the title of: “Regional Consultation on Liability and Compensation in the FCTC”.  Such Consultation is considered a continuation of the previous Consultation held in Jordan on litigation and public inquiry. Both Consultations try to look into the use of legal tools for tobacco control from different angles and according to the countries’ specific needs.

The subjects dealt with in the FCTC were divided into three groups, and two Member States were selected to chair each group, Egypt is Co-chairing Working Group three on the legal issues, with New Zealand.

Since the initiation of the FCTC, a lot of developments occurred at the regional level.  Four Member States developed national plans of action, three formulated national committees for tobacco control, and another three proposed new laws for tobacco control in their parliaments.

The FCTC for this region is not merely a legal tool for the change; it paves the way to a lot of activities that will together change the social beliefs and climate, towards tobacco use and consumption.