Tobacco control training has far-reaching impact

Technical training has far-reaching impact on tobacco control

The Union’s tobacco control technical training is having a marked impact on advancing tobacco control policies, according to a survey of nearly 400 participants in the 22 workshops offered between 1 January 2009 and 30 June 2010. The results indicate that the workshops have nurtured stronger networks and raised awareness of the issues and challenges. Most importantly, they have also equipped participants with the skills needed to achieve goals, such as smokefree policies, higher taxes on tobacco, bans on tobacco advertising and sponsorship and graphic health warnings on tobacco packets.

The technical training is offered to organisations receiving tobacco control grants managed by The Union and funded by the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use. It covers the World Health Organization/Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) MPOWER policy package, focusing on four of the six elements: protect people from second-hand smoke; warn about the dangers of tobacco use; enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and raise taxes on tobacco.

As part of the survey, participants commented on the outcomes that they attributed to the training, including:

In Egypt the relationships built during one workshop led to a group advocating against an agreement between BAT (British American Tobacco) and the government in one districts, which aimed to designate smoking areas in the hospitality services.

A taxation workshop held in Mexico led to more coordinated effort on the part of policymakers, opinion leaders and NGOs that allowed them to convince Mexico’s congressmen of the effectiveness of raising taxes to increase the price of tobacco products and thereby reduce demand. In 2010, the efforts of Mexican tobacco control activists, including The Union grantees, paid off and a significant tax rise was approved.

Participants in a workshop held in conjunction with the Labour Public Prosecutors Office in the State of Paraná, Brazil, said the event improved the debate on tobacco and labour relations issues. In addition, the debate generated there promoted smokefree policies in other states around the country. Labour prosecutors from other states have also now been acting to promote smokefree places whether there is a local law or not.

In Pakistan, journalists were among the stakeholders who attended a workshop on graphic health warnings. One participant said that, as a result of the workshop, “more informed debates in the media about graphic health warnings got under way.” He also noted that he became more effective in communicating his tobacco control organisation’s message to the media.

Earlier this month, a regional MPOWER workshop was held in Moscow for 18 participants from governments and civil society in Belarus, Bulgaria, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. They shared common concerns about the challenges of implementing FCTC requirements, such as smokefree environments. They also discussed ways that they can help and learn from each other and incorporate international experiences in their local settings.