Tobacco control
By 2020 this number is set to increase to 7.5 million, which would mean that tobacco use accounts for one in ten of all deaths worldwide. (WHO Global Status Report on NCDs 2010)
Tobacco use, particularly smoking, is the single biggest cause of cancer in the world, responsible for more than a quarter of all cancer deaths, including cancers of the lung (71% of lung cancers are attributed to tobacco use), mouth, throat, nose and sinuses, liver, pancreas, stomach, cervix, breast, bowel, kidney and bladder. It also causes a wide range of other diseases including 10% of cardiovascular disease such as heart disease and stroke, 42% of chronic chest and lung illnesses and gangrene. It is associated with 23% of new tuberculosis cases.
Numerous studies have shown that stopping tobacco use and creating smoke free environments greatly reduces the risk of cancers and other short and long term health risks. As an advocate of the reduction of the prevalence of risk factors associated with cancer deaths, UICC is committed to the implementation of strong measures against tobacco use and exposure, and against the tobacco industry, through the effective implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) The WHO FCTC is the first treaty negotiated under the WHO’s convention-making power. It was unanimously adopted by WHO Member States at the World Health Assembly in 2003, and entered into force as binding international law on 27 February 2005.
The objective of the FCTC is to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke. Parties to the FCTC agree to implement effective tobacco control measures domestically – including tobacco taxes, smokefree indoor workplaces and public places, health warnings, education and training, bans on advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and cessation assistance – and to cooperate with other Parties in tobacco control efforts. The FCTC is governed by the Conference of the Parties – i.e. all countries that are Parties to the treaty. The Conference of the Parties (COP) met for the first time in Geneva in February 2006, and has since met in Bangkok in June-July 2007, and Durban in November 2008.
UICC is an accredited observer to the COP. Together with other members of civil society, it has played a key role in assuring a strong FCTC and in the success of the first three sessions of the COP. For all available Conference of the Parties documents, visitwww.who.int/fctc/cop/en/.
World No Tobacco Day
The Member States of the WHO created World No Tobacco Day in 1987. The day is observed every year on May 31st. It draws global attention to the tobacco epidemic and to the preventable death and disease tobacco causes. It is a unique opportunity to engage the general public, organizations, governments and other stakeholders.
Visit the World No Tobacco Day web site
Framework Convention Alliance (FCA)
The Framework Convention Alliance (FCA) is an international NGO made up of over 350 organizations from more than 100 countries, working on the development, ratification and implementation of the FCTC. The FCA’s vision is a world free from the devastating health, social, economic and environmental consequences of tobacco and tobacco use.
The goal of this Global Smoke Free Partnership is to promote effective smoke-free air policies worldwide. The partnership helps practitioners and supporters of smoke-free policies to access the evidence for smoke-free policies, request assistance from a network of experts and take action in support of smoke-free policies. The partnership is coordinated by the American Cancer Society and the Framework Convention Alliance and unites many organizations, including UICC, which advocate for the reinforcement of smoke free policies.
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