Jordan committed to implementation of tobacco control treaty
AMMAN – Jordan is committed to the implementation of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC), Minister of Health Nayef Fayez said on Tuesday, noting that it was the second country in the region to endorse it.
The Ministry of Health has formed a committee to draw up a plan to implement articles 9 and 10 of the convention, which entered into force in 2005, he added.
“We are studying the possibility of enlarging the graphic warning printed on tobacco packets from 30 per cent to 50 per cent of the pack’s total size,” Fayez said at a meeting of 20 FCTC state parties to discuss the implementation of articles 9 and 10 yesterday.
He added that the ministry is also studying printing other graphics related to the impact of smoking on health.
Jordan endorsed the FCTC in 2004, and has adopted several measures since then to curb smoking in the country.
Under these measures, local tobacco companies had to include an image of diseased lungs on cigarette packs as an additional warning against the dangers of smoking.
The image occupies one- third of one side of a cigarette packet, while a written warning against smoking covers a third of the other side.
The FCTC, the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of the WHO, was adopted by the World Health Assembly on May 21, 2003 and entered into force on February 27, 2005. It has since become one of the most widely embraced treaties in UN history and, as of today, already has 166 parties, according to the WHO website.
Article 9 of the convention requires state parties to develop and enforce measures to regulate the contents and emissions of tobacco products, while Article 10 stipulates adopting and implementing measures to require tobacco product manufacturers to disclose the contents and emissions of their products to authorities, in addition to making this information publicly available.
The FCTC was developed in response to the globalisation of the tobacco epidemic and is an evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health.
The convention represents a milestone for the promotion of public health and provides new legal dimensions for international health cooperation, according to the WHO.
By Khetam Malkawi
© Jordan Times 21 October 2009
