Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2020 Acknowledgements Kenya: Consumer Information Network Korea (Republic of): National Cancer Center Author: Mary Assunta Lao PDR: Consultant - Maniphanh Vongphosy Lebanon: Hala Alaouie, Rima Nakkash, Editors: E. Ulysses Dorotheo, Yodhim Dela Rosa American University of Beirut Malaysia: Women’s Action for Tobacco Control and Health Additional editorial input: Vital Strategies Maldives: NCD Alliance and the Global Center for Good Governance in Mexico: Salud Justa México Tobacco Control Mozambique: Associação Moçambicana de Saúde Publica Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index (Global Myanmar: People’s Health Foundation Tobacco Index) is a global survey on how governments are Nepal: Health Rights & Tobacco Control Network responding to tobacco industry interference and protecting The Netherlands: Trimbos Institute their public health policies from commercial and vested New Zealand: Cancer Society of New Zealand interests as required under the World Health Organization Nigeria: Environmental Rights Action Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). Pakistan: Society for Alternative Media and Research The report was initiated as a regional index by Southeast Peru: National Anti-Smoking Control Commission (COLAT) Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) in 2014. The Global Philippines: HealthJustice Philippines Tobacco Index 2020 is produced, by Global Center for Good Romania: AER Pur Romania Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC), a STOP partner, with Solomon Islands: Global Youth Leadership Nexus support from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Support from Thai South Africa: Consultant - Dhamaravelli Moodley, National Health Promotion Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Council for Anti Smoking Gates Foundation also contributed to the development of Spain: Catalan Inst of Oncology the report. GGTC is a joint initiative of the School of Global Sri Lanka: Alcohol & Drug Information Centre Studies at the Thammasat University and SEATCA. Sudan: Consultant and Ministry of Health Tanzania: Tanzania Tobacco Control Forum Thailand: Action on Smoking and Health Foundation Main country collaborators: Turkey: Turkish National Coalition on Tobacco or Health Argentina: Fundación Interamericana del Corazón Argentina Uganda: Consultant - Hellen Neima Bangladesh: PROGGA Knowledge for Progress Ukraine: Advocacy Center LIFE Brazil: Tobacco for Control Alliance United Kingdom: Tobacco Control Research Group, Brunei Darussalam: Ministry of Health University of Bath Cambodia: Cambodia Movement for Health United States of America: Action on Smoking & Health Canada: Action on Smoking & Health Uruguay: Tobacco Epidemic Research Center of Uruguay (CIET) Chile: Alianza ENT Chile Vietnam: HealthBridge Vietnam China: Consultant Zambia: Tobacco-Free Association of Zambia Colombia: Red Papaz Cost Rica: Red National Anti-Tobacco Network Design: sophieeverett.com.au Czech Republic: First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague Suggested Citation: Mary Assunta. Global Tobacco Industry Ecuador: Corporate Accountability Interference Index 2019. Global Center for Good Governance Egypt: Cairo Association Against Smoking, Tuberculosis in Tobacco Control (GGTC). Bangkok, Thailand. Nov 2020. and Lung Diseases Ethiopia: Health Development & Anti Malaria Association France: National Committee Against Smoking Disclaimer Georgia: Tobacco Control Alliance, Georgia This Index is based solely on publicly available Germany: Consultant – Laura Graen information obtained by researchers in their respective Ghana: Vision for Alternative Development countries. If you have information that can strengthen India: Institute of Public Health, Bangalore this report, contact us at: [email protected] Indonesia: Consultants – Widyastuti Soerojo, Mouhamad Bigwanto Iran (Islamic Republic): Tobacco Prevention For more information visit: & Control Research Center Israel: Smoke Free Israel www.exposetobacco.org Japan: Japan Society for Tobacco Control www.globaltobaccoindex.org Jordan: Framework Convention Alliance Kazakhstan: For a Smoke-Free Kazakhstan Contents 02 04 07 Introduction Key Findings 1. The tobacco industry interferes in policy development 11 12 15 2. The tobacco industry lures 3. The tobacco industry 4. Governments interact high level officials with its receives incentives unnecessarily with the siren song: so-called CSR tobacco industry 17 21 26 5. Lack of transparency 6. Public officials being employed 7. Governments can facilitates industry by the tobacco industry or vice create a firewall with interference versa creates conflicts of interest preventive measures 29 30 32 Conclusion Recommendations Summary table 40 42 Appendix A End notes Introduction While the COVID-19 pandemic has the status of Article 5.3 implementation and providing a review of governments’ efforts. The Index made public health a top priority found that lack of transparency in interactions with across the globe, it has also put the tobacco industry, government endorsement of tobacco-related charity, industry targeting of non- a strain on health departments, health sectors to derail tobacco control measures and particularly in low- and middle-income conflict of interest issues persist as main problems countries, which are already burdened across the globe. In this mix, the tobacco industry has lobbied several governments to accept its new with a massive health bill from tobacco products despite their risks and unproven tobacco-related diseases and death. record as solutions to the tobacco pandemic. The first Index in 2019 reviewed 33 countries.4 The tobacco industry, which is responsible for more This second Index covers 57 countries from Africa, than 8 million deaths annually worldwide,1 has the Eastern Mediterranean region, Latin and North never taken responsibility for the diseases and America, Europe, South and Southeast Asia and the deaths its products have caused and continue to Western Pacific region. It ranks the countries using cause its customers, governments and society. Yet, it the same questionnaire and scoring method as the ASEAN Index, developed by the Southeast Asia is exploiting the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic to provide Mexico Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA).5 resources to countries badly in need of them, framing Canada 13 itself as being “part of the solution”—a classic tactic This Index is based on publicly available Sri Lanka 13 of the tobacco industry to get close to governments information on tobacco industry interference Thailand 12 11 and enable it to interfere with, derail and undermine in countries and their respective governments’ Nepal health policies aimed at reducing tobacco use. responses to this interference for the period of Ethiopia 11 January 2018 to December 2019 for the new country 10 Governments pinpointed tobacco industry Kenya The Netherlands 9 interference as the most serious barrier2 to tobacco participants, and January to December 2019 for the 33 countries updating their reports. The countries 8 control measures they are implementing under Peru are ranked (Figure 1) according to total scores 7 the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Uruguay 6 Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), ratified by provided by civil society groups, which prepared their respective country indices. The lower the score, Iran 6 180 countries and the European Union. In calling New Zealand the lower the overall level of interference, which 5 out the tobacco industry as a vector of disease, United Kingdom 4 Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC specifically empowers augurs well for the country. The Summary Table Uganda 3 governments to protect their public health policies (p. 32) provides disaggregated scores for each country. France 2 from vested commercial interests. Implementation Whether a country was high-, middle- or low-income Brunei Darussalam 1 guidelines to Article 5.3, adopted in 2008,3 provide had little effect on how well or poorly it fared. No recommendations governments can take to stop country has been spared from tobacco industry tobacco industry interference and protect their interference but what made the difference was officials when interacting with the industry. government action to address the interferences. This Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index (Index) is the second report in the series, presenting 02 STOP The lower the score, the better the ranking 0-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-89 90-100 Figure 1: Tobacco industry interference Indonesia overall country ranking Romania Colombia Zambia Georgia Japan Jordan Lebanon Tanzania China Lao PDR Bangladesh Ecuador 34 33 Ukraine 32 31 31 31 31 31 Turkey 30 Argentina 29 29 0 28 USA 27 27 Chile KazakhstanMalaysia 26 Spain 25 Mozambique 25 Germany 24 23 10 23 Czech Republic 23 India 23 South Africa Egypt 22 22 22 20 Ghana 21 Philippines Korea (Republic of) Sudan 20 20 Vietnam 19 19 30 Myanmar 18 Solomon Islands Pakistan 18 17 16 40 Nigeria Costa Rica 15 Cambodia 15 15 Maldives 50 15 Israel 14 Brazil 14 Mexico 14 60 Canada 13 Sri Lanka 13 Thailand 12 70 11 Nepal Ethiopia 11 10 Kenya The Netherlands 9 80 8 Peru 7 Uruguay 6 90 Iran 6 New Zealand 5 United Kingdom 4 100 Uganda 3 France 2 Brunei Darussalam 1 Rank Score Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2020 03 Key findings → The tobacco industry stepped up corporate → The tobacco industry intensified lobbying:As social responsibility (CSR) activities during countries took action to address tobacco industry the COVID-19 pandemic: The tobacco industry interference, the industry also stepped up its exploited