المكافحة الدولية للتدخين في ضوء الاتفاقية الاطارية بشأن مكافحة التبغ لعام 2003

International tobacco control under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of 2003

Abstract

The topic of tobacco control and its negative effects on human health and the environment is a concern for the World Health Organization. Therefore, this specialized organization has entered into negotiations to reach an international framework convention to reduce the negative health, environmental, social, and economic impacts of smoking on individuals and countries alike. Accordingly, the World Health Organization has developed a real strategy to address the phenomenon of smoking, with the fundamental goal of protecting the interests of individuals and society, in terms of health, social, environmental, and economic aspects. As a result, member states of the World Health Organization have agreed to formulate an international instrument that addresses a wide range of measures, commitments, and policies to combat the diseases caused by the consumption of tobacco products. This reflects the members’ desire to increase international cooperation in the prevention of health, economic, social, and environmental crises caused by the smoking epidemic, thereby preserving public health and achieving the highest level of well-being and sustainable development. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) was prepared by the World Health Organization in 2003, entered into force in 2005, and is an international treaty that has affirmed the right of all humanity to access the highest health, environmental, economic, and social standards. This represents a significant advancement in promoting international health law and providing new legal dimensions for international health cooperation. It was followed by a single protocol that reinforced the preventive approach of the convention against smoking-related diseases, and it was implemented in 2012 under the name of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, which is an international treaty aimed at eliminating all forms of illicit trade in tobacco products through a set of measures taken by countries to control The supply chain and the establishment of a global tracking and tracing system to reduce the smuggling of tobacco products outside the scope of the Framework Convention. The philosophy of the Convention and its protocol was based on a policy of criminalization, punishment, and prevention policy based on the basis of integrated policy with the laws of member states, as well as based on comprehensive national and multi-sectoral plans and programs to combat smoking or reduce its harm, indicating that the significant interest of the Convention and its protocol is the health, social, economic, and environmental interest, and although it focuses on individual health in particular, it certainly reflects on the rest of the other interests concerning the lives of present and future generations alike.