Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Fifth session Seoul, Republic of Korea, 12–17 November 2012 Agenda item 4
FCTC/COP/5/DIV/3 14 November 2012
Report of the Convention Secretariat on its activities and global progress on implementation of the Convention Address by Dr Haik Nikogosian, Head of the Convention Secretariat 12 November 2012 President of the Conference of the Parties, WHO Director-General, Ministers, delegates, ladies and gentlemen, Let me start with a very warm welcome to all delegates and participants to the fifth session of the Conference of the Parties. I would like to thank the Government of the Republic of Korea for the excellent arrangements and the cooperation that has been extended to the Secretariat in the organization of this session. The activities of the last two years are presented in detail in the report of the Secretariat that was made available to Parties. I will therefore focus on providing an overview and key points. Elaboration of treaty instruments remained a key area of intersessional work. The Intergovernmental Negotiating Body concluded the negotiations for the first protocol to the Convention, to eliminate illicit trade, paving the way for its adoption by the Conference of the Parties. In addition, the three working groups established by the COP worked in parallel and have presented their reports and draft guidelines. I would like to thank all Parties that extended cooperation to the Secretariat in the organization of this important work, and in particular the Key Facilitators of the working groups, and the Chairperson and Bureau of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body. The Secretariat also worked extensively on the reporting arrangements under the Convention. This included ensuring the smooth transition to the new reporting cycle, which is now harmonized with the biennial cycle of the COP. The work also included providing greater assistance to Parties in fulfilling their reporting obligations, and the publication of the global progress report on implementation of the Convention, now expanded in comparison with previous reports. Key findings of the report have been summarized in the document presented to the COP; in addition we have the privilege to launch the full global report at the COP later today.
FCTC/COP/5/DIV/3
Assistance to Parties and international cooperation was the third major area of work undertaken in the intersessional period. Needs assessments and needs-based assistance remained key mechanisms in this work. Activities also included the organization of regional implementation meetings, further updating of the database of available resources, and promoting the exchange of expertise and technology between Parties. One important feature of the work undertaken during the last two years is the strengthening of cooperation with international partners. The United Nations system organizations have become increasingly engaged in the treaty work organized by the Secretariat, through participation in needs assessments, regional workshops, and the work of subsidiary bodies. I would like to refer, in particular, to substantial cooperation with the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in support of the multisectoral dimension of the treaty and country-level work, and the cooperation achieved with the World Customs Organization and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in the negotiations for the protocol on illicit trade. The convening of the special meeting of the United Nations Interagency Task Force, which focused on supporting implementation of the Convention, was another key step in this area. There was also notable progress in coordination with the relevant departments of WHO. This covered various clusters and departments, as well as WHO regional and country offices, and ranged from preparation of technical reports to organization of regional meetings and country needs assessments, and promotion of United Nations interagency cooperation for implementation of the Convention. In addition, the recent political declaration adopted at the United Nations catalysed such cooperation in the area of prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases. These and other implementation activities are described fully in the reports of the Secretariat presented to the current session of the COP. We would like to thank all Parties for the cooperation extended to the Secretariat in regard to treaty work. The most recent examples include the regional implementation meetings that were hosted by the governments of the Republic of Moldova and Senegal, and needs assessments jointly carried out with several countries, namely: Colombia, Gambia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kyrgyzstan, Palau, Samoa and Solomon Islands. There were special contributions made by Parties which were crucial for the progress made in the last two years. Let me refer, in particular, to the substantial funding that the European Union provided for the final stage of negotiations for the protocol on illicit trade and for the support to implementation of the Convention in developing countries. Important contributions were also received from Australia, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands to support the capacity of the Secretariat and the implementation of the workplan. Let me also use this opportunity to sincerely thank the intergovernmental organizations and civil society for their valuable support to the implementation of the Convention. Distinguished President, excellencies, delegates, colleagues, Recent years have seen growing political recognition of the role of the WHO FCTC on the global health and development agenda. This was demonstrated, in particular, by the three political declarations adopted in 2011, by the Moscow Ministerial Conference, the United Nations General Assembly High-level meeting and the Rio World Conference on Social Determinants of Health, which highlighted the key role of comprehensive implementation of the Convention in the context of noncommunicable diseases and social determinants of health. Furthermore, the ECOSOC adopted a landmark resolution in 2012 that called for United Nations system-wide coherence on tobacco control, and emphasized the need to further strengthen multisectoral and interagency contributions to the work of the Convention and its linkage to the wider development agenda. 2
FCTC/COP/5/DIV/3
Let me also briefly outline the progress and challenges in implementation of the Convention. This is shown in detail in the global progress report, based on the implementation reports of Parties, that the Secretariat prepared and submitted to the COP. The average implementation rate of all substantive articles of the Convention, judged by key indicators, passed the 50% threshold in 2010 and further increased in 2012. In the meantime, global implementation rates still vary between different treaty provisions. Several provisions, such as communication campaigns and smoke-free public places attracted the highest implementation rates, while, in contrast, other provisions, such as implementation of measures related to liability and support to sustainable alternatives to tobacco growing still are trailing in the implementation rates. It is also important to refer to implementation of time-bound provisions of the Convention. Concerning Article 11, packaging and labelling, two thirds of Parties reported compliance with most of the timebound requirements, after reaching the three-year deadline, while the other third are still to achieve such compliance. In relation to Article 13, again, two thirds of the Parties that reached the deadline reported comprehensively banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, but only close to half of those included cross-border advertising in their bans. Another important area is that of the general obligations outlined in Article 5, which may have an overarching impact on implementation of the Convention. Most Parties reported having a multisectoral coordination mechanism in place, but only 40% of Parties reported implementing measures related to Article 5.3 of the Convention, on the protection of tobacco-control policies from the interests of the tobacco industry. Recent years have also seen ground-breaking achievements by several Parties. Let me refer to the adoption of very large health warnings by Uruguay and Mauritius, the introduction of plain packaging by Australia, the point of sale display ban by Norway, and the recent ban on the use of additives by Brazil. Bhutan, in the meantime, has banned all sales of tobacco products in its territory, and Finland and New Zealand have declared their intention to become completely tobacco-free in the near future. These achievements may well inspire and accelerate the implementation of the Convention internationally. Distinguished President, excellencies, delegates and participants, The recent progress and lessons learnt also allow some other observations to be made on treaty work and implementation, which I would like to report to the COP. First, the Convention, has passed this year the mark of 175 Parties, embracing 90% of the world’s population. The continued increase in the number of Parties demonstrates the importance and the expectations that countries attach to the Convention. Second, the development of treaty instruments, vital for implementation work globally, has made vigorous progress since the COP was established in 2006. More than 10 articles of the Convention are covered by guidelines and recommendations already adopted by the COP or submitted for adoption at its current session. In addition, the first protocol to the Convention, to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products, has just been adopted. In the meantime, however, feedback from Parties indicates the need for broader dissemination and assistance in utilizing the adopted guidelines. Third, the treaty reporting system is now well established and synchronized with the biennial cycle of the regular sessions of the COP. More than 90% of the Parties have submitted at least one report since 2007, with Parties’ compliance with the requirements of the reporting instrument gradually improving. Yet the number of Parties that have not submitted reports or that have done so with substantial delays indicates the challenges that some Parties face and the need for further assistance in this area. At this session COP will review further proposals to promote the use of implementation guidelines and standardized indicators in reporting, and the mechanisms of review of Parties’ reports by the COP. 3
FCTC/COP/5/DIV/3
Fourth, as treaty implementation advances, a substantially increased number of Parties also report declining smoking prevalence. This is an important development but yet to be established as a global trend, as more countries need to report comparable data over years. The trend also showed that novel products, often effectively marketed, are increasingly appearing on the market, in particular smokeless tobacco products and electronic nicotine delivery systems. Countries that have implemented effective anti-smoking policies and even experienced a decline in smoking prevalence now face the challenge of new smokeless tobacco products being introduced into their markets. Concerted action internationally will be required to address this growing challenge. This topic is on the agenda of the current session of the COP. Fifth, the resource base of the workplans adopted by the COP has gradually strengthened, particularly through extrabudgetary contributions targeted to support the treaty implementation in lowerresource countries. However, the continued arrears in payment of voluntary assessed contributions by a substantial number of Parties, unless resolved as promptly as possible, may impede the implementation of the workplan adopted by the COP. Matters related to resources and mechanisms of assistance and the payment of voluntary assessed contributions are on the agenda of this session of the COP. Sixth, Parties continue to report substantial challenges in implementation of the Convention. Interference of the tobacco industry, weakness of the national multisectoral mechanism, and lack of adequate resources remain the challenges most commonly referred to by the Parties. The COP may wish to take this into account in designing further policies and action. One other observation is linked to the gradual evolution of implementation assistance and international cooperation, which has been an important feature of recent years. In line with the guidance provided by the COP, undertaking joint needs assessments, promoting intercountry exchanges of expertise and practice, raising awareness of and promoting access to available resources, as well as promoting integration of the Convention within national health and development strategies and programmes and within the United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks emerged as central mechanisms in implementation assistance. These activities were undertaken by the Secretariat in cooperation with the relevant WHO departments and offices and with a growing number of partners, particularly within the United Nations system. In the meantime, the analysis of Parties’ reports and the needs assessments reveal increasing needs for assistance as more Parties reach the deadlines for implementation of time-bound and other key provisions of the Convention. Finally, the reviews and cooperation undertaken in recent years have shown that the work of the WHO FCTC, the first treaty in public health, could benefit from the vast experience accumulated in other relevant treaties. Furthermore, evolving experience has indicated possible measures to improve the efficiency of treaty work; proposals for such measures have now been submitted for consideration at this session of the COP. President, excellencies, delegates and colleagues, It has been an honour and pleasure for the Secretariat to serve the first public health treaty. As this session opened today we were the Secretariat of this first treaty; standing here now I proudly represent a Secretariat of two treaties. We look forward to this new era of treaty work to further improve public health. Thank you for your attention.
= 4
=
=