This week’s WHO Western Pacific webinar explored two decades of progress in tobacco control in the region and the urgent challenges ahead.
Featuring McCabe Centre's Pacific Advisor, Delphina Kerslake, and our Alumna, Valerie Whipps (Coalition for a Tobacco Free Palau), along with Dr Adriana Blanco Marquizo (Head of the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control), and bringing together governments, civil society, public health, law and public policy experts and tobacco control advocates.
The webinar looked at the progress and key lessons made in the region, shared experiences of successful strategies, as well as current and future challenges focusing on how past lessons can help protect young people from tobacco and nicotine products.
“The session showcased lessons learned and explored how these experiences are shaping responses to today’s challenges in tobacco control”, Delphina said.
The effectiveness of the law, in cancer control
Delphina also shared about the effective use of law in cancer control.
“Law is a powerful influencer of population behaviour and norms and is one of the most cost-effective tools available to protect and promote the health of people. Legal frameworks play a crucial role in tobacco control and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco control (FCTC) is a good example. The WHO FCTC, has enabled many countries to implement national tobacco control laws. Building legal expertise through capacity- building, alliances and partnerships is crucial in achieving this goal,” she said.
“An example of partnership is the McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer which assist countries to develop, implement and defend tobacco control laws. The McCabe Centre for Law & Cancer was founded on the premise that law is one of the most effective tools to prevent cancer and its risk factors, including tobacco.
“The McCabe Centre has worked with more than 500 lawyers, mostly from low- and middle-income countries, which have helped pass more than 30 laws relating to tobacco and other NCDs, and was also able to defend tobacco industry legal challenges in 5 countries. The McCabe Centre has worked with 21 of 26 countries in the area of plain packaging of tobacco products where Australia is a champion in that area.
“That is the beauty of the FCTC, it is an international public health treaty that has enabled many countries to be able to champion tobacco control through legal means,” she added.
Key challenge - industry interference
“The Tobacco Industry constantly uses litigation to challenge strong tobacco legal measures. They continue to come up with new products such as e-cigarettes.
“To push effective tobacco control changes, requires a leader that plays the role of a tobacco control champion. They need to be able to influence, persuade, make changes, facilitate, implement and take ownership, becoming effective agents of change that have the respect of communities,” Delphina said.
Other presenters:
- Dr Susan Mercado, Director for Programme Management, WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific.
- Dr Xiao Lin, Director of the Tobacco Control Office, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Dr Annette M. David, Senior Partner for health consulting services, Health Partners LLC, Guam.
- Filomeno Sta. Ana III, Executive Director, Action for Economic Reforms, Philippines.
- H.E. Hor Sarun, Secretary of State, Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia.
- Dr Ulysses Dorotheo, Executive Director, Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance.
- Dr Ha Anh Duc, Director Viet Nam Tobacco Control Fund, Ministry of Health Viet Nam.
- Dr Yvette Van Der Eijk, National University of Singapore.
See the WHO report, “Two decades of action in tobacco control in the Western Pacific”, here: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789290620662
About the McCabe Centre for Law & Cancer:
- WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Knowledge Hub on legal challenges (2013).
- WHO Collaborating Centre on Law and Non-Communicable Disease (since 2018).
- Through this role, the McCabe Centre provides technical advice and support to WHO in assisting countries to improve their health laws.
- Over 500 lawyers & policy makers have received specialised training from the McCabe Centre where knowledge is shared, networks are established, tobacco control champions are born to go back to country to influence policy change, convince leaders and politicians, gather support from different sectors, and push for legislation reform in tobacco control.