| RECOMMENDATIONS | ||||||
| Article 5.3 Guidelines recommend that Parties undertake the following in relation to tobacco industry: | ||||||
| RAISE AWARENESS | LIMIT INTERACTIONS | REJECT PARTNERSHIPS AND AGREEMENTS | DO NOT GIVE PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT | AVOID CONFLICT OF INTERESTS | COLLECT INFORMATION REQUIRE ACCURACY AND TRANSPARENCY | DENORMALIZE AND REGULATE SO-CALLED SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE ACTIVITIES |
| of tobacco industry tactics and Article 5.3 | with the tobacco industry | with the tobacco industry | to the tobacco industry | with the tobacco industry | from the tobacco industry | of the tobacco industry |
| » Thailand: developed anti-tobacco CSR videos in social media; Art. 5.3-related publication is translated into local language. » Philippines: warned government agencies not to receive tobacco industry donations; established a multi-sectoral 5.3 Committee. » Bulgaria: maintains a website that reveals tobacco industry tactics. » Canada: civil society organizations keep close track of tobacco activities. » Some countries reflect Article 5.3 principles or stipulate the exclusion of the tobacco industry in policies and laws (e.g., Lebanon, Seychelles, Turkey, Philippines, Ukraine). |
» Many countries limit any interaction with the tobacco industry to those that are strictly necessary for regulation, and provide a mechanism to ensure transparency in meetings that occur. In several cases, more stringent rules apply to committees in charge of tobacco control policies: Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lebanon, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, Philippines, Serbia, Singapore, Swaziland, and UK. » Philippines: interactions by civil servants with the tobacco industry that are not necessary for its strict regulation, supervision, and control are prohibited, and violators are subject to administrative discipline. | » Tobacco industry’s participation in health policy development has been rejected or expressly disallowed in: Canada, Kuwait, Namibia (banned from the Committee), Latvia (by law), Lebanon (prevented from participating in parliamentary committee meetings on tobacco), and Philippines (disallowed from participating in a local government public hearing on smoke free). | » Norway: pension funds may not be invested in stocks that profit from tobacco production. » Singapore: BAT reported “loss of tax incentives citing Article 5.3.” » US: although not a party to the FCTC, the US has a law prohibiting the use of government money to promote the sale or export of tobacco in foreign countries. » Certain government funds of New Zealand, Australia, and Hong Kong also screen out tobacco investments. | » Countries that adopt or implement Code of Conduct provisions to protect against tobacco industry influence: Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria (avoid communication with tobacco industry representatives), Djibouti, Philippines, and Serbia (covers “perception of conflict of interest”). | » Practically all countries require / publicly disclose / use for purposes of regulation, specific information from the tobacco industry ranging from ingredients to business activities and communication. Among those that require information in accordance with Article 5.3 are Bulgaria, Canada, Fiji, Mexico, Seychelles, Suriname, and Swaziland. » Art. 5.3 recommends that governments penalize the tobacco industry for submission of false or inaccurate information. |
» Research shows that the tobacco industry uses so-called CSR initiatives to secure access to policymakers and influence their decisions. » Some countries ban contributions from the tobacco industry (either completely or to health-related agencies), or ban their publication: Brazil, Kuwait, Montenegro, Oman, Serbia, Singapore, and Thailand. » In the Philippines, aside from a comprehensive policy, specific policies were issued for vulnerable institutions such as health, education, and revenue departments. » In 2012, the COP5 did not grant observer status to an international organization, the Interpol, because it received so-called CSR funds from Philip Morris. |
| TOOLS | TEMPLATES | |||||
| AWARENESS RAISING FACT SHEET & TOOLS | INCIDENT REPORT FORM | RENUNCIATION LETTER | NO BENEFIT FOR TOBACCO POLICY | CODE OF CONDUCT TEMPLATES/SAMPLES | POLICY ON REQUIRING INFORMATION FROM THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY, P. 55 | POLICY ON BANNING TOBACCO INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTION (CSR), P. 63 |