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  • Global Tobacco Treaty Takes Effect

    Yahho
    Finance

    Press Release

    Source: Corporate Accountability International

    Global Tobacco Treaty Takes Effect

    Monday February 28, 7:45 am ET
    Government Officials and Health Advocates Overcome Years of Tobacco Industry
    Lobbying and Interference
    On Historic Occasion, NGOs Call on Bush Administration to Act on Treaty and
    Join Global Community


    GENEVA, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- At a ceremony organized by the World Health
    Organization (WHO), government officials and health advocates gather in
    Geneva today to celebrate the global tobacco treaty's entry into force.
    Formally known as the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the
    treaty took effect yesterday, 27 February 2005. Initiated by WHO to address
    the global tobacco epidemic, the treaty bans tobacco advertising, promotion
    and sponsorship, and protects public health policy from tobacco industry
    interference.
    "This treaty will save millions of lives, change the way giant tobacco
    corporations operate, and set an international precedent for prioritizing
    health over the interests of Big Business," says Kathryn Mulvey, Executive
    Director of Corporate Accountability International (formerly Infact).

    Across the globe, corporate accountability and health advocates are marking
    this historic milestone with public events, and calling on their governments
    to ratify and implement the treaty. Members of the Network for
    Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT) in more than 15 countries
    around the world, including Colombia, El Salvador, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius,
    Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and the US, are generating momentum behind the treaty
    as it becomes international law.

    In a protest outside the White House last Friday, activists shamed the Bush
    Administration for its failure to submit the FCTC to the US Senate for
    ratification. The US signed the FCTC in May 2004, but remains notably absent
    from the list of countries that have ratified. Throughout negotiations, the
    US took positions that would benefit tobacco giants like Philip
    Morris/Altria. The US has a long history of signing but not ratifying
    international humanitarian agreements.

    "February 2005 is a landmark month for international cooperation on critical
    issues of protecting people and our natural resources, and the US is missing
    the boat. As both the global tobacco treaty and the Kyoto Protocol take
    effect with the US on the sidelines, we are calling on our government to
    join with the global community in prioritizing people's lives over the
    profits of giant corporations," says Mulvey.

    The 57 countries that have ratified the FCTC are: Armenia, Australia,
    Bangladesh, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Cook Islands,
    Denmark, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland,
    India, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Madagascar,
    Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar,
    Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Peru,
    Qatar, San Marino, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon
    Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and
    Tobago, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Uruguay and Viet Nam. Many more
    ratifications are expected in the coming months.

    Corporate Accountability International, formerly Infact, is a membership
    organization that protects people by waging and winning campaigns
    challenging irresponsible and dangerous corporate actions around the world.
    For over 25 years, we've forced corporations-like Nestle, General Electric
    and Philip Morris/Altria-to stop abusive actions. Corporate Accountability
    International, an NGO in Official Relations with the World Health
    Organization (WHO), played a key role in development of the FCTC. The
    Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT) includes more
    than 100 NGOs from over 50 countries working for a strong, enforceable
    Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. For more information visit
    http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org.

    Contacts:
    Patti Lynn
    Mobile phone in Geneva: +41.76.547.3476

    Kathryn Mulvey
    Mobile phone in Geneva: +1.617.306.0920

    David Lerner/Riptide Communications
    +1.212.260.5000


    Source: Corporate Accountability International
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