[afro-nets] 100 Countries Have Now Signed UN Tobacco-Control Treaty

[Claudio Schuftan <claudio@hcmc.netnam.vn>]

100 Countries Have Now Signed UN Tobacco-Control Treaty
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From: "Vern Weitzel" <vern.weitzel@undp.org

New York, Mar 25 2004 11:00 AM

One hundred countries representing 4.5 billion people have
signed the global treaty aimed at curbing tobacco use, which now
claims nearly 5 million lives every year and causes an estimated
annual net loss of $200 billion in treatment and lost productiv-
ity, the United Nations health agency reported today.

The milestone was reached with this week's signatures by Ecuador
and the Republic of Congo of the UN World Health Organization
(WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which re-
quires countries to restrict tobacco advertising, sponsorship
and promotion, set new labelling and clean indoor air controls
and strengthen legislation to clamp down on tobacco smuggling.

WHO Director-General Lee Jong-wook praised the signatories for
protecting their populations from tobacco-related diseases.

He called on all remaining nations to sign the Convention, the
first international treaty negotiated under WHO auspices, and on
all signatories who have not yet ratified it to do so. The FCTC
will enter into force and become legally binding 90 days after
the 40th ratification. So far nine countries have ratified it.
Three months remain before the end of the signature period. Af-
ter that, nations can directly adopt the treaty as law without
having signed it in a process called "accession".

At the time of its unanimous adoption last May by WHO's 192 mem-
bers, the agency warned that the annual death toll of 4.9 mil-
lion, if left unchecked, could double by 2020.

The tobacco epidemic is still expanding, especially in develop-
ing countries where currently seven out of every 10 tobacco-
related deaths occur, according to WHO. At current rates, the
total number of tobacco users is expected to rise to 1.7 billion
by 2025 from 1.3 billion now.

The European Community (EC) has also signed the treaty as a re-
gional economic integration organization, while its member
states sign and ratify the treaty individually.

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news