502Find the infographic “Tobacco Industry Ties 2021-2022” at the link
On March 8, NGO “LIFE” in cooperation with its partners presented an interactive infographic “Tobacco industry ties 2021-2022” and together with the participants discussed the tactics of the tobacco industry during the war to promote its corporate financial interests using influence on the formation of state policy.
The discussion was joined by Dmytro Kupyra, executive director of the NGO “LIFE”, Svitlana Slipchenko, head of the non-profit non-governmental organization, “VoxСheck”, investigative journalist Lyubov Velychko, lawyer of the Center for Democracy and Rule of Law Elvina Koroi, and head of the board of the NGO “Anti-Corruption Headquarters” Serhiy Mytkalyk. The recording of the broadcast is available at the following link:
In order to expose persons and organizations that act in the commercial interests of the tobacco industry contrary to the health interests of the citizens of Ukraine, the NGO “Life” and the NGO “Anti-corruption Headquarters” declare that they have no ties to the tobacco industry or persons associated with it developed an interactive infographic “Tobacco Industry Ties 2021-2022”.
Find the infographic “Tobacco Industry Ties 2021-2022” at the link
The tobacco industry and the individuals who defend its interests are “mowing” money on the one hand, and the lives of Ukrainians on the other. And these deaths can be blamed not only on the harmful cigarette smoke, but also on those who push the laws that are beneficial to the tobacco industry. In order to continue to receive excess profits, tobacco companies, despite the war, continue to persistently interfere in public health policy, acting contrary to Ukraine’s international and European integration obligations, trying to undermine policies to protect people’s health from the harm of tobacco and nicotine. To promote its interests, the tobacco industry engages MPs, government officials and non-government organizations.
These individuals like to engage in tobacco lobbying without drawing excessive attention to themselves, and the task of the public is to make these politicians known in order to demonstrate to the public what these or other officials are really doing with access to decision-making.
The World Health Organization unequivocally defines tobacco products and electronic smoking devices as harmful to human health. Thus, through attempts to block anti-tobacco legislative changes or loosen the regulation of tobacco products and electronic cigarettes, politicians, individuals and NGOs acting in the interests of the tobacco industry contribute to increasing the prevalence of smoking, the consequences of which take the lives of 130 thousand Ukrainians every year. 8 million Ukrainians have already become addicted to tobacco products, and according to the WHO, up to 50% of tobacco users die from diseases caused by the use of this product.
Methodology. The subject of the analysis was the public speeches of those involved, comments for the media, initiated and supported legal acts, draft laws, decisions, letters, appeals, circle of assistants, conflict of interests of family members, ownership structure, voting, etc. The interactive infographic shows the actions of those involved in the interests of the tobacco industry, which contradict the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) ratified by Ukraine.
The guidelines for the implementation of Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC state: “There is a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the tobacco industry’s interests and public health policy interests”. The tobacco industry produces and promotes the sale of products that have been scientifically proven to be narcotic in nature, lead to disease and death, and contribute to the development of various social evils, including increasing the scale of poverty. Therefore, the Parties should, to the maximum extent possible, protect the formulation and implementation of the public health protection policy on the fight against tobacco from the influence of the tobacco industry.”
Current legislation enshrined these provisions in the principles of state policy regarding the prevention and reduction of the use of tobacco products and their harmful effects on the health of the population (Law of Ukraine No. 2899-IV), in particular defining: “policy priorities in the field of health care in comparison with the financial, tax and corporate interests of business entities whose activities are related to the tobacco industry.”
The key tactics of the tobacco industry’s intervention in the policy of protecting public health from the harm of tobacco and nicotine are:
- opposition to the legislative implementation of the WHO FCTC policies to protect the population from the harm of tobacco and nicotine;
- opposition to the increase of excise taxes on tobacco products, liquids for e-cigarettes and their effective collection;
- whitewashing the reputation of the tobacco industry;
- weakening of the implementation of the current legislation on the protection of the population from the harm of tobacco and nicotine;
- discrediting organizations and leaders active in the field of tobacco control.
We will remind that on the basis of the collected materials, the NGO “Life” held the “Golden Braid 2022” anti-award.
On December 9, a ceremony was held to award the “Golden Scythe” and “Golden Brake” anti-prize to the winners. This year’s “Golden Braid” coincidentally took place on the International Anti-Corruption Day, because opposition to legislative initiatives aimed at reducing the prevalence of smoking among Ukrainians is a direct sign of promoting the corporate interests of the tobacco industry. The “winners” of the “Golden braid 2022” anti-prize were Ukrainian MPs Maryan Zablotsky, who received the Golden braid, Yevhen Petrunyak – won the Silver braid, and Ihor Friis – the Bronze one. The “Golden Brake” was awarded to the Head of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine, Olha Pishchanska.
For contact information: Dmytro Polonskyi, media coordinator of the NGO “LIFE” – dmytro.p@center-life.org