[Read/ download full report] The report of the day-long Advocacy Training Workshop on WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article 5.3 which was organized in Lucknow, India, on Saturday, 7th September 2013 went online on 24th September 2013 and is being disseminated to different government authorities in India. This training culminated with a list of action points, one of which was
to create a committee charged with passing and implementing a UP state
policy in line with WHO FCTC Article 5.3. This workshop was organized by Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT), UP State and Lucknow District units of National Tobacco Control Programme of India, Vote For Health campaign (formerly Indian Society Against Smoking – ISAS), Citizen News Service – CNS, Health Justice Philippines, Asha Parivar and National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM). The first announcement of this training is online here.
Identifying opportunities and challenges to use WHO FCTC Article 5.3 in our local context, participants agreed upon the following:
• Respond to advertising of nicotine chewing gums by ITC: Recommendation of Vice President of Indian Chest Society and Head of Tobacco Cessation Clinic at KGMU Dr Surya Kant was that these chewing gums should only be available upon medical prescription for tobacco cessation purposes and not sold openly.
• Strategic plan for passing a policy in line with WHO FCTC Article 5.3: UP Tobacco Control Cell with support from a "Article 5.3 Committee" will aim to develop a strategic plan for passing a policy in line with WHO FCTC Article 5.3. Vote For Health campaign took the responsibility to constitute this committee in 30 days and establish online communication platforms for information exchange and dialogue.
• Announcement of toll free number to report violations by government's state tobacco control cell
• UP State Tobacco Control Cell to support a training on tobacco cessation if Vote For Health and CNS are ready to support it with technical resource faculty and participants
For more information, please contact: Rahul Kumar Dwivedi (email) or call: +91-983-999-0966.
Thanks
Citizen News Service - CNS
September 2013
