1535Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2023. Ukraine
Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2023. Ukraine. Summary findings
On December 21, 2023, The Advocacy Center “Life” held a press conference titled “Presentation of the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2023: How Ukraine Defends Its Health Policy”. Experts discussed how the situation in Ukraine regarding tobacco industry interference in health policy has changed amidst the state of war and the challenges the country faces today.
In The Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2023, Ukraine has risen by 20 points, scoring 44 this year compared to the previous Index in 2021 of 64 out of 100 possible points (where 0 represents minimal intervention and 100 represents the highest). Accordingly, in the Index of 2023, Ukraine ranks 16th among 90 countries worldwide, whereas it was 52nd among 80 countries in the previous ranking.
The Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2023 reflects interference and responses that were measured for the period of April 2021 to March 2023. The highest level of tobacco industry interference in a country’s policy was recorded in the Dominican Republic with 100 points, while the lowest was in Brunei Darussalam with 14 points.
“In 2022, the Government of Ukraine demonstrated significant progress in protecting its policy from tobacco industry interference, which was reflected in Ukraine’s ranking in the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2023. Among the reasons contributing to the improvement in Ukraine’s situation is the enactment of the comprehensive anti-tobacco Law No. 1978 at the end of 2021. At the same time, the Government was less susceptible to any significant influence from the tobacco industry, as overall collaboration and policy discussions decreased during the first year of the full-scale war”, noted Dmytro Kupyra, Executive Director of the Advocacy Center “Life”.
The National Report of Ukraine for the Index 2023 demonstrates how representatives of the tobacco industry attempted to delay the implementation of Euro-integration provisions of Law No. 1978 during wartime, along with attacks on smoking bans in cafes, bars, and restaurants. Tobacco companies also claimed “corporate social responsibility”, providing support to the population with various goods, shelter equipment, and medical supplies, while Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco International were the largest taxpayers in Russia among international companies.
“46 international companies are now on the list of International Sponsors of the War, according to the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP). In August of this year, we added two tobacco “giants”, PMI and JTI, to this list. Together, they occupy over 60% of the Russian tobacco market. This involves billions of dollars in investments and substantial funds going into the aggressor’s budget. Besides the reputational consequences, being on our list also signifies special attention from counterparts both in Ukraine and globally towards these companies”, emphasized Andriy Poznyak, an expert on communication aimed at minimizing corruption risks in the sanction policy of the National Agency on Corruption Protection.
The NACP representative thanked the NGO “Life” for its work within the framework of the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2023 research.
Globally, the tobacco industry is acknowledged as a specific type of business because the products manufactured and distributed by tobacco companies kill up to 50% of their consumers.
The tobacco industry is solely driven by profit motives, actively seeking to influence policies in order to create conditions conducive to maximizing cigarette sales.
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control recognizes an irreconcilable conflict between the interests of the tobacco industry and public health interests. Article 5.3 of the FCTC defines, “In setting and implementing their public health policies with respect to tobacco control, Parties shall act to protect these policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry in accordance with national law“. It is critically important for the tobacco industry to undermine the compliance with Article 5.3 by states.
“The tobacco industry actively exploits the state of war to cleanse its reputation and attempts to weaken existing bans. We have cases where PMI funded the opening of generator-equipped points in major Ukrainian cities, while in 2022, it generated a revenue of $7.9 billion in Russia, which could have produced 7 900 “Kalibr” missiles. Another example is how tobacco companies unjustifiably demanded the suspension of the implementation of the Euro-integration Directive 2014/40/EU. Fortunately, the Ukrainian Parliament stood up for health protection”, highlighted Serhiy Mytkalyk, Chairman of the Board of the NGO “Anti-Corruption Headquarters”.
As a signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control since 2006, Ukraine has committed to defending its health protection policy against tobacco industry interference, even during wartime. The health of the population and human capital of Ukraine are much more crucial than the corporate interests of tobacco companies, some of which are still present in the Russian market and sponsor the war against Ukraine.
Additional Information:
The Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index is a global survey on how governments are responding to tobacco industry interference and protecting their public health policies from the tobacco industry’s commercial and vested interests as required under the WHO FCTC. This report is based on publicly available information on tobacco industry interference in countries and their respective government’s responses to these interferences.
The report was initiated as a regional index by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) in 2014. The Global Tobacco Index 2023 is produced by the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC) with dissemination support from STOP. The Advocacy Center “Life” and involved experts worked on preparing Ukraine’s national report for the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2023.
Photo: Ukraine Crisis Media Center
Contact information: Olha Masna, media coordinator of NGO “Life”, olha.masna@center-life.org