Strengthening Global Tobacco Control 2005-06

Canadian Global Tobacco Control Forum (CGTCF)

The Canadian Global Forum on Tobacco Control (the Forum) is a collaborative activity of leading organizations involved in domestic tobacco control in Canada and leading Canadian organizations involved in supporting international public health. The Forum emerged as a result of a number of years of collaborative work amongst Canadian health charities to support the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Since 2003, Forum members have separately and collectively managed programs and activities aimed at implementing the Framework Convention in Canada and abroad.

In the five month period December 2005 to April 2006, the CGTCF provided financial and technical support to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government partners in various key countries and regions that could benefit from Canadian expertise to achieve ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and/or implementation of FCTC measures. Activities focused on tobacco control alliance-building in Burkina Faso, Congo-Brazzaville, Mozambique, and Niger; capacity building in Cuba, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, and Colombia; and regional action towards FCTC implementation through the support of FCTC Conference of the Parties (COP) and Commonwealth Health Minister Meeting activities. In addition, collaborative partnerships were established with key agencies in China.

The Canadian Public Health Association was the grant manager for this project.

Objectives

The overall objectives of the project were:

• To facilitate FCTC ratification/accession in selected countries and thereby increase the number of member state parties to the FCTC;
• To facilitate implementation of FCTC measures regardless of whether or not a country had already formally ratified and thereby increase member state compliance to the obligations of the FCTC;
• To help countries and regions establish more effective tobacco control networks, in both the governmental and non-governmental sector and thereby strengthen regional and international capacity to implement the FCTC in addition to assisting countries with little to no tobacco control activities to begin establishing networks, building capacity, and initiating tobacco control activities and programmes;
• To explore and evaluate the most effective and cost-effective means of providing Canadian expertise and assistance to tobacco control in developing countries.

Results and Impact

Niger: Increased regional awareness and understanding of how the tobacco industry works, the health consequences of tobacco use, tobacco use among youth, the goals and objectives of the FCTC, tobacco control laws in Niger, and the role of civil society and the media in tobacco control. Increased intra-regional collaboration and cooperation in tobacco control. Media uptake at conference likely contributed to FCTC ratification. Planted the seeds for a network of Francophone PHAs working on tobacco control.

Burkina Faso: Built a coordinated tobacco control advocacy approach.

Mozambique: Increased the scope of the tobacco control movement; for the first time it has a national reach, beyond the capital city.

Cameroon: Produced a report on the status of tobacco control in Cameroon.

Brazil: Produced an FCTC monitoring report that compares government-produced information on the FCTC implementation status with independent analysis and provides recommendations that could be used nationally and as examples at the COP. Increased awareness of actions that will improve FCTC implementation and compliance.

Mexico: Brought the damage caused by the relationship between tobacco companies and the MoH to fund health expenditures into the open. Re-energized civil society community working in tobacco control, strengthened national network, and improved advocacy skills. Identified emerging new tobacco control leaders.

Colombia: Increased tobacco control capacity among NGOs, government, and media. Increased media exposure at the time of a legislative discussion on the issue of Colombia's adherence to the FCTC.

Mexico and Peru: Conducted a FCTC monitoring session in Mexico City to review and consider various monitoring models. Used the Canadian FCTC model to draft both monitoring reports. Drafted reports in Mexico and Peru, both of which will be printed and used as advocacy tools for the May 31, 2006 World no Tobacco Day and as models for future reports.

Peru and Uruguay: Supported proactive country representatives to attend COP. Increased tobacco control legislation innovation in Uruguay.

Latin America: Established an on-line course to help expand the community of tobacco control advocates in Latin America and the Caribbean. Organized a plan, selected a webmaster, and contracted a URL. Selected on-line topics and currently seeking permission from authors to use their material on the site.

China: Submitted a proposal for CHINA-CANADA CIDA funding.

COP: Circulated a package of informational materials, including a full description of health warning systems and background research, to each party.

For more details on these and other results, please see the final report . HealthBridge was responsible for activities in Brazil and Niger. See individual reports on these activities: Brazil and Niger .

Lessons Learned and Recommendations

Project Implementation

• Social and family networks often cross over national borders in Africa, which may make regional or sub-regional activities work more easily than in Canada
• Canadians are well accepted in Francophone Africa; they are not burdened with a colonial past and they have a reputation for responding to local needs, for fulfilling their commitments, and for remaining engaged
• It is necessary to think about how to work in a relatively informal environment
• Although 'networks' exist in developing countries, these are often small and involving only a few individuals
• Beneficiary countries are in different stages of development and therefore have different needs
• It is important to give individuals in developing countries the freedom to do their work, through sustained salary funding, rather than having them constantly writing grant proposals, etc.
• Outside funding (i.e. Funding by Canadian government or agencies) of NGOs in developing countries can increase their legitimacy in their country and can strengthen their ability to promote change
• Long term relationships and support is essential for tobacco control work in developing countries; this would be compromised in the absence of long term funding
• Some funding flexibility is needed during the project to allow for emergent needs: perhaps a small percentage of future project funds could be applied to ‘opportunistic’ or ‘emergent’ needs
• Institutional meetings (like the regional meetings of the WHO) occur regularly, but if they do not coincide with the planning cycle of the grant, then the opportunity to engage them is lost. For example, it was anticipated that we could use the regional support funds to advance issues at WHO regional meetings, but the funding was approved many weeks after these meetings were over. Perhaps multi-year funding could ensure that a full annual planning cycle can be used to ensure that tobacco is put on the agenda of such important meetings.

 

Project Structure

• The CGTCF’s collective reach through its ancillary networks and contacts is a great strength
• Forum would be able to carry out an extended proposal, but would need Health Canada or other funding (provincial networks, Quebec government) to continue