242WASHINGTON, D.C. – A report released today by an international group of public interest and health organizations builds on the recent multi-part investigation byThe New York Times and provides additional documentation and detail about how the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (U.S. Chamber) has helped the tobacco industry fight life-saving policies in more than a dozen countries, undermining measures intended to combat a global tobacco epidemic that threatens one billion lives this century.
The Times’ articles exposed how the U.S. Chamber and its global network of more than 100 American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) affiliates have acted as a front group for the tobacco industry in systematically fighting effective tobacco control policies around the world. The U.S. Chamber’s tactics include directly opposing countries’ health policies, pitting countries against each other in international trade disputes, and influencing international trade agreements to benefit tobacco companies.
Today’s report shows that the U.S. Chamber’s pro-tobacco activities span the globe and often target low- and middle-income countries vulnerable to bullying by the economic might of the leading U.S. business lobby. These countries include Burkina Faso, El Salvador, Jamaica, Kosovo, Moldova, Nepal, the Philippines, Uruguay and Ukraine.