We were delighted to join the Norwegian Cancer Society, the World Health Organization, and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Secretariat as co-organisers of a workshop on Law and Tobacco Control: Global and European perspectives following World Cancer Congress this year. 40 participants from government and civil society from both the European region and globally participated in the workshop, held in Geneva from 19-20 September. The workshop is part of a regular series held by the Norwegian Cancer Society, and builds on successful collaborations in 2015, 2016, and 2022.
Hosted at the offices of the Union for International Cancer Control in Geneva, the workshop provided an opportunity for civil society and government working in tobacco control to share experiences on current legal issues in tobacco control. This year’s workshop focused on both global and European issues, with the first day focusing on global issues, and the second on issues specific to the European region. Day 1 discussed updates from the recent WHO FCTC Conference of the Parties, tobacco control in the recent plastics treaty negotiations, forward-looking tobacco control measures, regulation of emerging tobacco and nicotine products, digital marketing, and prevention of tobacco industry interference. Day 2 discussed tobacco industry interference, the room for action nationally within the EU, updates to EU directives on tobacco control and legislative and litigation updates within European countries and within the EU.
Sessions consisted of a mix of panel presentations, country case studies from both within and outside the European region, discussion, and practical exercises. Presenters and facilitators included Norwegian Cancer Society, WHO, and McCabe Centre staff, as well as guest presenters from participating governments, civil society within and outside the region, academic experts, and the European Commission. We were particularly pleased to be joined by the EU Ombudsman, Ms Emily O’Reilly, who presented on her recent report on implementation of article 5.3 within EU institutions.
We are pleased to be continuing our collaboration with our friends and colleagues at the Norwegian Cancer Society, WHO, and the Convention Secretariat. As the host of the Knowledge Hub on Legal Challenges, the McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer sees the exchange of experiences and learnings between lawyers working in tobacco control as a critical activity for advancing public health, and looks forward to continuing to collaborate on this important series of workshops.
If you would like to discuss the possibility of developing a workshop for your region or country, please email info@mccabecentre.org