WHO Censorship Tactics Should be Exposed at World Health Assembly

PR64527

GENEVA, May 24 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

    - As the Annual Summit Takes Place This Week, Global Leaders Have an

Opportunity to Scrutinize WHO's definition of transparency and accountability

    Health Ministers from 194 countries will gather this week in Geneva to set

the direction for future health policy around the world. JTI - Japan Tobacco

International - is calling for the Assembly to urgently address an alarming

transparency and accountability crisis at the heart of the World Health

Organization (WHO) during discussions on the agency's reform.

    (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130528/617491 )

    In a recent report, the WHO states that "...significant progress has been

made towards meeting the objectives of being a more effective, efficient,

transparent and accountable organization."[1] This contradicts censorship

practices that are increasingly being witnessed at WHO meetings.

    At the last Conference of the Parties (COP6) of the WHO's Framework

Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2014, members of the public and

journalists were unjustifiably ejected from the public gallery, leaving them

unable to observe and report on plenary sessions that are meant to be

transparent. The alarming tactic of conducting proceedings behind closed doors

has prompted concerns - notably by the media - that health lobbyists and

non-elected parties are wielding undue influence over treaty negotiations.

    These exclusion tactics go against basic transparency and accountability

rules - and are in sharp contrast to other UN meetings. At the Sustainable

Innovation Forum (COP21) on climate change in Paris earlier this year, some

3000 journalists were accredited, while political and business leaders from

around the world actively participated in debates. Proceedings were open to the

public and live-streamed on the internet. Businesses sponsored the event.

    Michiel Reerink, Global Regulatory Strategy Vice-President at JTI, stated:

"Nobody would argue against the need for tobacco to be appropriately regulated,

but there is a right way and a wrong way of achieving that. Excluding the

public and the media from debates amounts to censorship, and is unacceptable

from a publicly-funded organization. This begs the question: what does the WHO

have to hide?"

    JTI, a member of the Japan Tobacco Group of Companies, is a leading

international tobacco manufacturer. It markets world-renowned brands such as

Winston, Camel, Mevius and LD. Other global brands include Benson & Hedges,

Silk Cut, Sobranie and Glamour. With headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and

about 26,000 employees worldwide, JTI has operations in more than 120

countries. Its core revenue in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, was USD

10.3 billion. For more information, visit http://www.jti.com.

    --------------------------------------------------

    1. Overview of reform implementation, World Health Organization, Report by

the Director General, Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly, Provisional agenda

item 11.1, March 11, 2016, p.1.

SOURCE: JTI (Japan Tobacco International)