Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Fifth session Seoul, Republic of Korea, 12–17 November 2012
17 November 2012
DECISION FCTC/COP5(15) Cooperation between the Convention Secretariat, the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
The Conference of the Parties, Recalling its decision FCTC/COP4(18) requesting the Convention Secretariat to cooperate with the World Trade Organization (WTO) Secretariat with the aim of information sharing on trade-related tobacco control issues, to monitor trade disputes regarding WHO FCTC-related tobacco control measures and other trade-related issues of relevance to the implementation of the Convention, to facilitate information sharing on trade-related issues between Parties, and to communicate regularly with the relevant WHO offices on tobacco control issues raised at WTO committees and report regularly on these activities to the Conference of the Parties; Having considered the report by the WHO Secretariat on Cooperation with the WTO on trade-related tobacco control issues (document FCTC/COP/5/18); Taking note of the paper entitled Confronting the tobacco epidemic in a new era of trade and investment liberalization, produced by WHO in 2012 as an update to the 2001 paper entitled Confronting the tobacco epidemic in an era of trade liberalization; Welcoming the initial efforts of the Convention Secretariat and the WHO Secretariat to facilitate information sharing on trade-related tobacco control issues and provide support to Parties in cooperation with the WTO Secretariat and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); Mindful of the need for closer collaboration and exchange of information as illustrated by the fact that tobacco control measures taken by WTO Members that are also Parties to the WHO FCTC are discussed in the WTO, in particular in the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Council) and the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Committee); Recalling that WHO has observer status to, and participates in, the meetings of the TRIPS Council and the TBT Committee;
FCTC/COP5(15)
Noting that organizations with which the Convention Secretariat cooperates operate within the scope of their respective mandates, REQUESTS the Convention Secretariat to: (1) continue its information sharing activities involving the WHO Secretariat, the WTO Secretariat and UNCTAD in relation to tobacco control, international trade and investment issues, including the provision of information on tobacco control and the WHO FCTC to WTO Members in relevant bodies; (2) continue to cooperate with the WHO Secretariat, the WTO Secretariat and the UNCTAD Secretariat to provide technical support to Parties; (3) in coordination with the WHO Secretariat, continue to facilitate information sharing on trade-related issues particularly between Parties to the WHO FCTC having similar problems; (4) continue to encourage communication and information sharing between trade and health officials of Parties to the WHO FCTC; (5) continue to monitor tobacco control-related trade issues and report regularly to the Conference of the Parties on these activities and any developments of relevance to the implementation of the Convention.
(Fourth plenary meeting, 17 November 2012)
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