The World Health Organization (WHO) World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed around the world every year on May 31. For this year's World No Tobacco Day, WHO and the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) are calling on countries to get ready for plain (standardized) packaging of tobacco products.
Plain Packaging
Plain packaging refers to “measures to restrict or prohibit the use of logos, colours, brand images or promotional information on packaging other than brand names and product names displayed in a standard colour and font style (plain packaging).
Plain packaging is an evidence based measure that can save lives and protect public health by:
- reducing the attractiveness of tobacco products;
- restricting use of tobacco packaging as a form of tobacco advertising and promotion;
- limiting misleading packaging and labelling; and
- increasing the effectiveness of health warnings.
Plain packaging was implemented in Australian in 2012, has been adopted in Ireland and the United Kingdom for implementation in May 2016, and is under formal consideration in Norway Hungary, Sweden, Finland, France, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Turkey and South Africa. Togo and Burkina Faso have included Plain Packing in their Tobacco Control (TC) laws.
According to the World Health Organization FCTC Article 11 on Packaging and labelling of tobacco products, states that “ each unit packet and package of tobacco products and any outside packaging and labelling of such products also carry health warnings describing the harmful effects of tobacco use, and may include other appropriate messages”. Article 13, 4(b) on Tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship require that health or other appropriate warnings or messages accompany all tobacco advertising and as appropriate promotion and sponsorship.
Role of ACBF
The African Capacity Building Foundation with support from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is supporting Civil Society Organizations in various countries, Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa (CTCA) in Uganda, University of Cape Town, Economics for Tobacco Control Project South Africa, African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) in Togo, and Ministry of Health in Senegal to support tobacco control.
The Civil Society Organisations being supported include:
- Association Mauritanienne de Lutte contre la Tuberculose et le SIDA (AMALUTS)- Mauritania
- Initiative Pour L’Education Et le Controle du Tabagisme (IECT)-Benin
- Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)-Nigeria
- African Network for Information and Action Against Drugs (RAID)-Gambia
- Mouvement Populaire Pour la sante au Gabon (MPS)-Gabon
- International Institute for Legislative Affairs (IILA)-Kenya
- Parliamentary Forum on Non Communicable Diseases (PFNCD)-Uganda
- Association PREVENIR-Senegal
- Mathiwos Wondu -YeEthiopia Cancer Society (MWECS)-Ethiopia
Of the above CSOs target countries, five of them have tobacco control laws passed and are currently implementing the TC laws, the countries include: Senegal, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and Gabon. The other four countries are working on the passage of FCTC compliant tobacco controls Bills, of which TAPS and Plain Packaging is part of WHO FCTC compliant law.
For more on World Tobacco Day
Brochure: http://www.who.int/campaigns/no-tobacco-day/2016/brochure/en/
Visuals: http://who.int/campaigns/no-tobacco-day/2016/posters/en/
Videos:
- WHO: World No Tobacco Day 2016 - Get ready for plain packaging (45 seconds): https://youtu.be/rXUCTSp2_58
- WHO Director-General statement on plain packaging: https://youtu.be/qJhFjrhTWSE
Social media:
- Follow the @WHO twitter account, #WorldNoTobaccoDay, #NoTobacco
- Social media squares: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BykdjSLu8icaUUtXNGdfbEsyRG8&usp=drive_web&tid=0BykdjSLu8icaLXQ5M3ZzbDVGWHM
More information:
More information can be found at: http://www.who.int/campaigns/no-tobacco-day/2016/en/
Contact: Paul Garwood, WHO Communications, garwoodp@who.int
