Note: World Lung Foundation united with The Union North America. From January 2016, the combined organization is known as “Vital Strategies.”
(New York, USA) – World Lung Foundation issued the following statement regarding the omission of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) from the recently released Secretary-General’s synthesis report, despite the treaty being part of an earlier Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) proposal. Peter Baldini, Chief Executive Officer, World Lung Foundation, said:
“Tobacco control has a critical role to play in every aspect of sustainable development. Tobacco-related disease robs individuals of years of economic activity, negatively impacting families and economies. This doesn’t just relate to diseases traditionally associated with smoking; tobacco use is the one risk factor common to four major non-communicable diseases – cancers, cardiovascular and lung disease, and diabetes. As the recently-published Global Burden of Disease Report revealed, incidence of these diseases is increasing and the low and middle income countries that are the focus of the Sustainable Development Goals are seeing the most rapid rates of increase.
“For individuals who have to pay for their healthcare, the cost of tobacco-related disease may divert family expenditure from safe water, preventative healthcare, education, transport that opens up education or employment opportunities, cleaner energy or good nutrition – the benefits of which can be felt for generations. Similarly, tobacco-related disease places a growing financial and resource burden on national healthcare systems, most keenly felt in countries with immature health systems and limited resources.
“Tobacco smoke is a major contributor to indoor air pollution, which negatively impacts smokers and non-smokers alike and, studies suggest, may reduce the life opportunities of children. The cultivation of tobacco diverts the use of fertile land from food crops, when the latter typically provides farmers with a more stable income and could help increase food security. Studies show that many tobacco farmers in low and middle income countries end up in a cycle of debt, with their families robbed of their health, their education and their future. The role of child labour in the global tobacco farming sector also cannot be overlooked.
“There is only one logical outcome from removing the voice and experience of tobacco control advocates from the SDG discussions, and removing tobacco control from the targets to be set. It sends a message to Big Tobacco that the world’s attention is not fully focused on tobacco’s detrimental impact. It offers Big Tobacco a way to continue to target the lives and livelihoods of millions of men, women and children in low and middle income countries. It increases the likelihood that economic development in these countries will be negatively impacted by the burden of tobacco. That is why we join the Framework Convention Alliance in urging the parties and governments involved in discussions around the SDGs to put tobacco back on the agenda. It would be the perfect holiday gift to help improve the health and livelihoods of millions and the sustainable development of the countries in which they live.”