Consumer Group Warns Of Reputation Risk
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates has issued a warning that New Zealand's reputation is at risk
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by Dave Cross
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The Coalition’s recent release of a Shadow Report on the (NON)-Implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article 1 (d) on Harm Reduction Strategies emphasises the importance of consumer participation in policy making and highlights the benefits of tobacco harm reduction.
“However, the WHO FCTC’s upcoming meetings in Panama which are to be attended by a Ministry of Health delegation, have been extensively criticised for excluding certain parties, such as consumer advocacy groups and independent researchers,” said Nancy Loucas, a prominent New Zealand public health consumer advocate and executive coordinator of The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates.
New Zealand, as a signatory to the International Open Government Partnership Agreement, has committed to improving community engagement in policy making.
“Yet this exclusion of certain groups at key international meetings puts New Zealand's reputation and its commitment to the international Open Government Partnership Agreement at risk,” Ms Loucas continued.
In line with New Zealand's commitment to open government and public participation, CAPHRA urges the New Zealand government to support open discussion and participation in tobacco harm reduction policy making, and to address the issue of stakeholder exclusion in the WHO's FCTC COP meetings.
“The Coalition is calling on the New Zealand government and the next Minister of Health to ask all member states attending COP10 to reject the prohibitionist proposals contained in COP10 provisional agenda items 6.1 to 6.4, which the organisation believes will contribute to millions more of unnecessary deaths from smoking,” Ms Loucas explained.
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates remains committed to advocating for the rights of consumers in the Asia-Pacific region to access and use evidence-based, regulated, and properly marketed harm reduction products as a means of reducing the devastating impact of smoking-related diseases.
It says: “We encourage further research, open dialogue, and collaboration with governments, health organisations, and stakeholders to ensure the best possible outcomes for public health.”
References:
- Shadow Report on the (NON)-Implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 1 (d) on Harm Reduction Strategies - Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates, August 2023 - https://caphraorg.net/wp-content/pdf/FCTC_Shadow_Report.pdf
- For more information on vaping and its potential to help smokers quit, visit vapingfacts.health.nz and https://caphraorg.net/
Photo Credit:
Green Lego Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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