The Development Organization of the Rural Poor (DORP) has urged the government to exclude tobacco companies from the amendment process of the Tobacco Control Law, warning that such involvement would violate Bangladesh’s commitment to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
This call was made at a press conference titled “Strengthening the Tobacco Control Law and Expectations from the Government for Implementing WHO FCTC and Complying with Article 5.3”, held on Tuesday at the National Press Club in Dhaka.
Presenting the keynote paper, Dr Abu Muhammad Zakir Hossain, president of the Community Clinic Health Support Trust, said: “Every year, tobacco-related diseases kill 161,000 people in Bangladesh and leave millions more ill. Yet tobacco companies, in pursuit of profit, are spreading misinformation by claiming that the government will lose massive revenue if the draft amendment of the Tobacco Control Law is passed.”
“The reality is the opposite,” Dr Hossain said. “Since the law was enacted in 2005 and amended in 2013, government revenue from tobacco has increased 12.5 times over the past 18 years. At the same time, tobacco consumption fell by 18% between 2009 and 2017.:
“This proves clearly that a reduction in tobacco use does not hurt government revenue,” he added.
Bangladesh Cancer Society President Professor Dr Golam Mohiuddin Faruq said: “The advisory committee reviewing the draft Smoking and Tobacco Products Ordinance had stated that stakeholder opinions, including those of tobacco companies, must be considered.”
He stressed that this stance stands in direct violation of Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
He pointed out that Bangladesh is a signatory to the FCTC, and Article 5.3 clearly requires that the tobacco industry be kept entirely away from the law-making process.
“We strongly urge the government to cancel this decision to involve tobacco companies,” said Dr Faruq.
Director of Health and WASH at Dhaka Ahsania Mission, Iqbal Masud, emphasized that the proposed provisions included in the draft amendment must be passed quickly
These include abolishing Designated Smoking Areas (DSA), banning point-of-sale displays, taking measures to protect children and youth from the harmful effects of e-cigarettes, banning tobacco company CSR activities, and prohibiting retail sales of single sticks, he added.
Founder and Chief Executive of DORP, AHM Noman, highlighted that even the Health Adviser had acknowledged the government’s obligations under Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
He said the article makes it clear that the government cannot hold discussions or enter into any form of consultation with tobacco companies.
“Therefore,” Noman emphasized, “we call on the Advisory Committee formed to amend the Tobacco Control Law to immediately cancel its decision to hold meetings with tobacco companies regarding the amendment process.”
