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On 16 July 2016, the Sri Lankan National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) and the Sri Lanka Judges’ Institute jointly conducted a seminar for Sri Lankan High Court Judges on Issues in Implementation of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol Act. The seminar brought together over 60 High Court Judges to discuss health, social and legal aspects of tobacco and alcohol control in Sri Lanka and globally. It examined recent amendments adopted to strengthen Sri Lanka’s tobacco control laws and developments in Sri Lanka and around the world in tobacco litigation, particularly challenges to tobacco packaging and labelling laws.
Mr Jonathan Liberman, Director of the McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer, the WHO FCTC Secretariat’s Knowledge Hub on legal challenges to implementation of the Convention, delivered a keynote address, Review of International Tobacco Legislation and Legal Challenges to Implementation, which provided an overview of the WHO FCTC and of significant developments in tobacco litigation around the world. The presentation also elaborated on typical litigation claims (procedural/administrative, substantive and rights based claims) by the tobacco industry and how the WHO FCTC can been instrumental in guiding Parties through this litigious process. There was particular emphasis on lessons from the recent dismissals of the challenges to the United Kingdom’s and Uruguay’s tobacco packaging laws.
The seminar was supported by the Convention Secretariat as part of the post needs assessment assistance provided to Sri Lanka.
For more information please contact Palitha Abeykoon (FCTC focal point, Sri Lanka) at: abeykoonpalitha6 at gmail.com.
