Brazil has joined a group of countries committed to reducing tobacco use by stamping out the illegal tobacco trade.
Brazil has joined a group of countries committed to reducing tobacco use by stamping out the illegal tobacco trade. It ratified the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (ITP) on 25 May – just a handful of countries are now needed to follow suit before the treaty can come into effect. The Union provided legal advice to Brazil’s government and Congress to secure ratification.
The ITP links to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and is a new treaty in its own right. 40 states must have ratified the ITP for it to come into effect. The treaty will provide tools for preventing illicit tobacco trade by securing the supply chain, establishing an international track and trace system, and introducing a raft of measures to facilitate international cooperation.
In April 2018, The Union and other civil society partners joined the Bloomberg Initiative’s Public Health Program lead, Kelly Henning, in meetings to promote ITP ratification at the office of the Chief of Staff to the Presidency of Brazil, and with Senator Jose Serra, former minister of Health and Foreign Affairs.