Tobacco Convention
In May 2003, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) unanimously adopted the world's first health convention: the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Sweden ratified it in 2005. The Tobacco Convention is an international legally binding agreement that more than 180 countries have committed to following and working with. The convention, which contains 38 articles, aims to protect children and adults from harm and death from tobacco use. Many of the articles address measures that countries have agreed to take, including:
- Ensure that the prices of tobacco products are continuously increased.
- Make it more difficult for the tobacco industry to advertise its products. In the long term, tobacco marketing should be completely banned.
- Inform the population about the tobacco industry's methods of marketing and trying to influence countries' public health policies.
- Inform about the risks of tobacco.
- Determine what tobacco products may contain and what the packaging may look like.
- Help people who want to quit tobacco.
- Stop smuggling and other illegal trade in tobacco.
- Help tobacco farmers find other crops to grow.
- Prevent the sale of tobacco to children.
- Keep the tobacco industry out of public health policy.
- Cooperate with other countries.
FACTS
Tobacco control : What we commonly call tobacco prevention – legal regulation, supervision and other societal measures to reduce tobacco use and passive smoking.
Tobacco: In the tobacco convention, the term includes all kinds of tobacco, including those that are not smoked, such as snus.
An international convention is a legally binding agreement between countries.
A framework convention is a type of convention where the parties agree on a specific goal and a framework for the efforts and strategies to be implemented to achieve the goal.
Once a country has ratified the convention, it becomes a binding agreement, which means that its contents must be incorporated into its own legislation.
The tobacco control convention has shifted the focus from individual lifestyles to societal responsibility. It has clarified that tobacco is a health policy issue and not an individual moral issue. The tobacco control convention has also shone a merciless light on the tobacco industry's tactics to perpetuate tobacco use around the world.
No decision-maker can any longer treat tobacco-related ill health and mortality as effects of individual free choice. The tobacco issue is about politics, and legislation and other regulation are necessary in the public health work against tobacco.
How the implementation of the convention is developing can be followed through the parties' reporting to WHO. The parties report every two years.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) aims to protect children's rights and well-being in many ways, including protection from addictive substances such as tobacco.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child has been law in Sweden since January 1, 2020. Here are some ways in which the Convention on the Rights of the Child helps protect children from addiction:
The right to health (Article 24): A central aspect of the CRC is the right to health for children. This article establishes that children have the right to the highest attainable standard of health and the right to access health care and information about health. This includes protecting children from exposure to addictive substances that may harm their health, for example in the form of passive smoking.
Protection against harmful habits (Article 33): Article 33 calls for protection against harmful habits, including the use of tobacco and nicotine.
The right to information (Article 17): The Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes the right of children to information about their health and well-being. This means that children have the right to receive information about the dangers of addictive substances and the negative consequences of using them.
Prohibition of marketing to children (Article 13): The Convention on the Rights of the Child contains provisions prohibiting marketing and advertising directed at children and encouraging them to use addictive substances. This aims to protect children from influences that can lead to addiction.
Best interests of the child (Article 3): An overarching principle of the CRC is that the best interests of the child should always be a primary consideration in decisions that affect them. Protecting children from addictive substances is considered to be in their best interests.
In summary, the CRC is a comprehensive agreement aimed at protecting the rights and well-being of children, and it includes provisions that directly and indirectly contribute to the protection against addiction and harmful habits. By following and implementing the CRC, countries and societies can work to ensure that children are not exposed to addictive substances and that they are informed and supported to make healthy decisions.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on Tobacco Control have common goals when it comes to protecting children's health and rights in relation to tobacco use.
UN Global Sustainability Goals – Agenda 2030
World leaders have agreed on 17 global goals for sustainable development. These are about eradicating poverty, stopping climate change and creating peaceful and secure societies. Tobacco and nicotine are one of the world's major sustainability problems and undermine the majority of the goals.
The 2030 Agenda is the most ambitious plan for sustainable development ever adopted by the world. The development agenda was adopted in September 2015 by heads of state and government of all UN member states.
This means that world leaders have pledged to achieve the global goals by 2030. All countries have thus taken on the responsibility to create a fairer, more sustainable and better world. The serious consequences of tobacco for the environment and climate constitute an obstacle to the world being able to reach the UN's global sustainability goals by 2030. The entire chain of tobacco and nicotine use, from cultivation to waste, negatively affects sustainable development. Below you can read more:
Goal 1 Poverty reduction
Tobacco production perpetuates poverty for both individuals and entire countries because tobacco companies strive to exploit the cheapest labor possible. Most production takes place in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia. It is common for farmers to be tied to unfavorable contracts, which keeps them trapped in a poverty trap.
The tobacco industry also hinders the economic growth of entire countries. In many countries that export a lot of tobacco, the profits from cultivation go not to the country or its population, but to the tobacco companies. This is because the tobacco industry exploits, for example, inadequate legislation, and makes it difficult to switch to growing crops that would benefit the country.
Tobacco use is more common among people with low incomes. The addiction takes a larger percentage of the household budget, which means that poor families are hit harder financially by nicotine addiction.
Goal 2 Reduced hunger
The world's tobacco crops take up a lot of arable land, which could instead be used to grow food crops. Tobacco cultivation also reduces the possibility of switching to growing other crops because the soil is depleted and poisoned where tobacco is grown. Several of the countries that produce the most tobacco in the world are also countries with a severe food shortage. Tobacco cultivation therefore threatens the food supply of poor countries. By reducing tobacco cultivation, more countries could increase the possibility of their population getting enough food.
Goal 3 Good health
Globally, tobacco and nicotine use is the largest cause of preventable disease and death. Up to 8 million people die each year from smoking, and over a million of these die as a result of passive smoking. The proportion of disease cases that are due to other nicotine use has not been mapped because not enough research has yet been done on new products. However, there is evidence that products with nicotine, such as e-cigarettes, brown and white snus, increase the risk of shortened life expectancy, death from, for example, heart attacks, type 2 diabetes and birth defects. Reduced tobacco use would therefore have a major impact on public health globally.
For health concerns for workers in tobacco farming, see point 8.
Goal 4 Good education
It is common for children in poor countries to work on tobacco farms, which prevents them from attending school and getting an education. This is because many farmers receive such poor compensation from tobacco companies that they are unable to afford to hire adults and are instead forced to use children as labor. This undermines the goal of good education. Research shows that good quality education for all is one of the most important foundations for prosperity, health and equality in every society.
Read more about child labor here
Goal 5 Gender equality
The tobacco industry's sole aim is to get as many people as possible to use their products. Since there have generally been more men than women who consume tobacco and nicotine products, the tobacco industry has worked hard for many years to attract women to become consumers. This has been done by developing products, packaging and campaigns that are specifically aimed at the target group women.
Read more about the tobacco industry's recruitment of women
Goal 6 Clean water
The tobacco industry uses enormous amounts of water in cultivation and production. This is a major problem in areas with drought and water shortages. According to the WHO, the total water consumption for all stages of the tobacco industry is approximately 22,2 million cubic meters per year. However, the major problem is not the volume of water per se, but rather the extraction of groundwater, which is gradually deteriorating the water supply.
The nicotine in the tobacco plant also poisons soils and waterways. In addition, chemicals from pesticides and fertilizers leach into the soil and poison groundwater. Many of the chemicals used in tobacco cultivation in poor countries are banned in other parts of the world, such as the EU.
Goal 8 Decent work
Workers in the tobacco industry, especially in tobacco cultivation, often have low wages or low returns on the sale of tobacco. Exploitative and unhealthy working conditions also occur in tobacco cultivation and processing. The use of large amounts of toxic fertilizers and pesticides increases the risk of ill health, as does the handling of high levels of nicotine. The nicotine in the leaves can penetrate the skin if exposed to too much, causing the serious disease green tobacco disease, which is particularly serious for children. Child labor on tobacco plantations occurs in many poor countries, which reduces children's opportunities for education.
Read more about child labor on tobacco farms
Goal 9 Sustainable industry
A sustainable industry means functioning and stable infrastructure. To meet the future challenges we face, our industries and infrastructures need to be made more inclusive and sustainable. Both the tobacco industry's products and production are incompatible with this aspiration. The tobacco industry tries to appear as a sustainable industry with various tricks, including through green washing. This can be about electricity supply, biodegradable packaging or green transport. However, the fact remains - the companies' products have such a negative impact on the environment and climate, as well as people, that the tobacco industry can never be sustainable.
Read about tobacco companies' greenwashing
Goal 10 Reduced inequality
While smoking is decreasing in the rich world, tobacco companies are focusing on increasing use in poor countries. This means an increased risk of health inequalities depending on where you live in the world. The fact that working conditions for tobacco workers in poor countries are so poor also contributes to inequality between countries. The fact that more low-income earners, as well as people in a stressful life situation, are at greater risk of becoming addicted to nicotine also contributes to inequality.
Goal 12 Sustainable consumption and production
The tobacco industry’s goal is to maintain and increase its profits. They market and sell products that worsen people’s health, and contribute to disease and premature death. Achieving sustainable development requires us to reduce our ecological footprint by changing the way we produce and consume goods and resources. The tobacco industry’s production and consumption of its products goes completely against this goal.
Goal 13 Combat climate change
Tobacco cultivation destroys agricultural land and leads to deforestation. Drying tobacco causes carbon dioxide emissions and further deforestation. Production causes large amounts of hazardous waste, and transportation further impacts the climate. Smoking itself causes air pollution. By reducing tobacco consumption, the environmental impact can be reduced and contribute to a sustainable planet.
Goal 15 Ecosystems and biodiversity
The tobacco industry's emissions into soil and waterways, as well as deforestation, contribute to the depletion of biodiversity. The cultivation of tobacco also threatens the Earth's ecosystems because the soil is depleted of nutrients and poisoned by pesticides. By reducing tobacco cultivation, we can reduce the impact on ecosystems and biodiversity.
UN resolution on NCD-related disease
NCDs stand for non-communicable diseases. Lifestyle changes, such as reducing tobacco and nicotine use, can reduce the number of people who develop NCD-related diseases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) describes non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in four categories: cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. These account for the majority of all premature deaths in the world. People in all age groups, regions and countries are affected by NCDs. Non-communicable diseases kill 41 million people each year, which is equivalent to 74% of all deaths globally. Of these, tobacco accounts for over 8 million (including the effects of passive smoking).
Modifiable behaviors, such as tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets and harmful use of alcohol, all increase the risk of developing NCDs. Reducing the burden of NCDs requires a holistic approach and reducing health inequalities. Most importantly, health promotion and disease prevention interventions can reduce risks by as much as 70%.
In 2015, UN member states adopted the 2030 Agenda with 17 global goals for sustainable development. Target 3.4 includes efforts to reduce the number of people who die prematurely from non-communicable diseases by one third and promote mental health and well-being.
In December 2021, the European Commission launched Healthier together – an initiative covering the period 2022–2027, to support EU countries in identifying and implementing effective policies and measures to reduce the burden of NCDs and improve the health of citizens.
In Sweden, non-communicable diseases account for approximately 90 percent of all deaths. The Swedish NCD Network against Non-communicable Diseases was formed in 2011 in connection with the UN High-Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases. The network consists of 22 civil society organizations that want to accelerate the work to achieve set goals. This includes the development of a Swedish NCD strategy in which the Riksdag and government must take the lead.
Read more:
Noncommunicable diseases (who.int)
EU Health Programme – EU4Health 2021–2027 — Swedish Public Health Agency (folkhalsomyndigheten.se)
| Swedish NCD Network (ncdsverige.se)
Tobacco and the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
Women have been and in many places still are particularly vulnerable to tobacco industry marketing. Women have not previously used tobacco to the same extent as men and the industry sees women as a promising recruitment base for new customers. Tobacco products are designed to appeal specifically to women and marketing to women is extensive. At the same time, biological differences mean that women are in some respects more sensitive than men to the harmful effects of tobacco.
Against this background, it is logical that the tobacco convention highlights women's rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in its introduction. This was adopted by the UN in 1979 and stipulates that parties “shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of health.” The tobacco convention also states that parties shall encourage women's leadership in tobacco prevention and tobacco policy work.
Read more: The gender perspective: women are hit harder by the consequences of tobacco use
A longer text is under construction.
