Speech by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Director-General World Health Organization

Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Eight session FCTC/COP/8/DIV/5 Geneva, Switzerland, 16 October 2018 01 October 2018

4RE/7//DIV13

FCTC/COP/8/DIV/5

Madam President Preeti Sudan, Dr Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva, Mr Michael Moller,

Colleagues, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

It’s an honour to be here for my first COP and to see the commitment of so many of you to achieving a tobacco free world.

There’s no other way to say it: The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is one of the greatest public health achievements of the last 20 years.

More than 13 years since it came into force, it remains one of the world’s most powerful tools for health.

Together, we have made great progress. We have saved lives.

More than 60% of the world’s population is now covered by one or more of the six strategies of the MPOWER package – four times more than in 2007.

In recent years, several countries including Kenya and Uganda have passed comprehensive tobacco control laws.

Gabon and Gambia have increased tobacco taxes.

India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand have introduced large graphic health warnings.

Several cities in China have implemented smoke-free laws.

Plain packaging has now been implemented in seven countries, there are seven others with laws awaiting implementation, and countless others in the policy process.

Of course, you’re all familiar with Uruguay’s stunning legal triumph against Philip Morris.

A World Trade Organization Panel Report upheld Australia’s plain packaging law as consistent with WTO rules.

The Sustainable Development Goals were adopted, with an explicit commitment strengthening the implementation of to the FCTC in target 3.a.

And most recently, we secured enough ratifications for the Protocol on the Elimination of the Illicit Trade of Tobacco Products to come into force.

I have to tell you honestly: we were worried we wouldn’t get there.

But we increased the intensity of our efforts, advocating for Member States to ratify at WHO’s Regional committee meetings and writing letters to Heads of State – and we made it.

This is another historic moment in the fight against tobacco. Thank you to each and every party that joined. But we still want more. We want as many countries as possible to ratify the protocol. I’m delighted that immediately after COP the first Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco products will be held at WHO headquarters here in Geneva.

FCTC/COP/8/DIV/5

At the United Nations General Assembly last week there were several key moments for advancing our fight against tobacco: First, the launch of the Tobacco Free Finance Initiative, calling on all countries to divest tobacco from their sovereign wealth funds; Second, the High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases, where world leaders committed to 13 concrete steps to get the world back on track for the SDG target of reducing premature mortality from NCDs; And third, the High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis, which highlighted that reducing tobacco use is a critical component for ending TB.

And I cancelled one of my other speaking engagements after a tobacco company announced it was sponsoring the event.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Despite all these successes, much remains to be done, especially in low- and middle-income countries. We must continue advocating for urgent and accelerated implementation of the convention and all six MPOWER strategies.

Let me leave you with three specific calls to action. First, we call on all countries to do more to increase tobacco taxes and to take full advantage of the multiple benefits both for saving lives and generating revenue for public health. Second, we call on all countries to implement comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. And third, we call on all countries to commit to universal health coverage, based on resilient health systems and primary health care that promotes health, prevents disease and delivers the treatment and care centred on the needs of people.

Increase taxes. Ban advertising. Commit to universal health coverage.

Thank you for your support and resolve.

WHO is proud to host the Convention Secretariat.

Let me assure you that I remain personally committed to continuing the work done by my predecessors at WHO to use the full force of the convention to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.

Thank you.

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