AHANIAN: The fourth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP4) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) will be held from 15 to 20 November 2010 in Punta del Este, Uruguay.The Conference is the governing body of the WHO FCTC and is comprised of 171 Parties to the Convention. The WHO FCTC is the first international treaty negotiated under the auspices of WHO and provides a new legal dimension for international health cooperation.The Uruguay meeting is expected to review and promote the progress in implementation of the Convention. It will also consider new instruments for treaty implementation such as the proposed protocol on illicit trade in tobacco products and guidelines on several articles of the Convention.
In addition, governments are set to discuss ways to strengthen international cooperation and to improve mechanisms of assistance.Proposed guidelines for implementation cover different areas of the treaty include regulation of the contents of tobacco products and their disclosure; measures concerning tobacco dependence and cessation; education, communication, training and public awareness.Proposed outline recommendations for economically sustainable alternatives to tobacco growing will also be on the agenda.For the first time the Conference will debate: price and tax policies; control and prevention of smokeless tobacco products and “electronic cigarettes”; liability with regard to the health effects of tobacco consumption – Sananews
