Webinars

Increasing Cooperation Between the WHO FCTC and the UN Plastic Treaty

During COP10, last February, there was a call for greater cooperation between the WHO FCTC and UNEP.

On April 16, the WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Articles 17 and 18 co-hosted a webinar with Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Génération Sans Tabac, the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC), and the Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance (STPA) to showcase how the WHO FCTC and the negotiations of the Plastic Treaty can be an example of international cooperation.

The event was recorded and is now available online, on this link.

Launch of Toolkit for Article 17 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

On November 2nd, 2023, the Convention Secretariat hosted a webinar to launch the Article 17 Toolkit for Parties to the WHO FCTC.

The Toolkit draws from common lessons learned in tobacco-growing countries and provides approaches to adapt these lessons in unique country contexts. Therefore, it is an important document to guide Parties' actions on economically viable alternatives to tobacco.

During the event, Raphael Lencucha (McGill University) presented an overview of Article 17 and highlighted the features of the Toolkit for Parties; Vinayak Prasad and Simone St Claire (World Health Organization) discussed the Tobacco-Free Farms project in Kenya and Zambia; Leonce Sessou (African Tobacco Control Alliance) addressed the general situation in Africa; Jorrit Kamminga (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) shared the UNODC's experiences with alternative development projects; and Raquel Gurgel (WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Articles 17 and 18) demonstrated how the Knowledge Hub can support Parties by sharing information and providing assistance in research, capacity-building, organization of courses, and other activities.

The webinar was recorded and can be viewed on this link.

The Toolkit can be downloaded on this link.

Tobacco farming, diversification of rural livelihoods and food security

This webinar took place on May 18th, 2023 and was promoted by the WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Articles 17 and 18 and by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

Participants had the opportunity to hear stories from farmers who have stopped or that are trying to stop growing tobacco: Adriane and Álvaro Luettjohann (Brazil); Chaichan Thongwan and Jomsri Pleiploy (Thailand); Ramiro Ortega and Carlos Alvarez (Colombia); and Barrack Okello (Kenya).

There were also lectures by Alejandro Polo, from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Colombia; and Breno Gaspar, organizer of the event and researcher at the WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Articles 17 and 18. The event was moderated by Chris Bostic from ASH.

The webinar was recorded and can now be viewed on YouTube, on this link.

Human rights and environmental impacts of the tobacco production chain

The webinar took place on May 4th, 2023 and was promoted by the WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Articles 17 and 18 and by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

The event featured lectures by Maria Juliana Moura Corrêa, director of the Department of Environmental and Workers Health Surveillance of the Brazilian Ministry of Health; Carolyn Dressler, Action on Smoking & Health (ASH) Board Member; and Brenda Chitindi, from the Tobacco-Free Association of Zambia (TOFAZA). It was moderated by Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva, researcher at Fiocruz and former Head of the Convention Secretariat of WHO FCTC.

From cultivation to consumption, tobacco production is related to problems such as deforestation and soil and water pollution. Workers involved in tobacco farming are exposed to several health risks – among them, the Green Tobacco Sickness, a type of poisoning caused by the transdermal absorption of nicotine from the surface of wet tobacco plants.

The webinar addressed these problems as violations of human rights.

It was recorded and can now be viewed on YouTube, on this link.

Tobacco industry and child labor

This webinar took place on June 15th, 2021 – the International Year of Eliminating Child Labor –, and was promoted by the WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Articles 17 and 18; WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3; and STOP.

Participants joined international experts as they discussed the impact of child labor in tobacco farming, the tobacco industry tactics to whitewash its involvement in the problem, and the way forward through the WHO FCTC to eliminate child labor.