Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC - Ukraine)

Coordinating Board on Tobacco Control

The severity of problems caused by tobacco use show the need to establish intersectoral coordinating committee for tobacco control. The Ministry of Health initiated the establishment of such committee. On November 12, 1997 the Government issued a decree and establish governmental Coordinating Board on Tobacco Control. The Board is headed by the Minister of Health. There are three deputy chairpersons: first deputy minister of Health, deputy minister of Finance, and first deputy head of the Consumers Protection Committee. Representatives of the following ministries and departments are members of the Coordinating Board: Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Youth and Family Affairs, Ministry of Culture and Arts, Ministry of Science and technology, Sports Committee, Occupational Health Committee, State TV and Radio Company. There also will be representatives of some voluntary organisations (Red Cross, Movement for Healthy Lifestyle and Alcohol and Drug Information Centre) and the parliament committee on Health. Draft of National Program of Counteraction to Tobacco Use was worked out by the group of experts and approved at the Coordinating Board session on October, 20 1998. Unfortunately, it was not adopted by the government through the lack of economic justification.

The Board prepared propositions on allocation part of tobacco taxes for the Program implementation.

State Consumer Protection Committee in cooperation with the Board prepares series of anti-tobacco advertisements. Broadcast tobacco advertising is prohibited while billboard and printed media advertising is very common and the Board prepared new version of article of the Law on advertising, concerning tobacco advertising. This proposal is based on the European Directive on tobacco advertising and sponsorship.

In year 2000 First Deputy Minister of Health and Deputy head of the Board Dr. Olga Bobyleva initiated the development of the Tobacco Control and Health Protection Law. The first draft was developed by ADIC-Ukraine and then discussed by some experts, including international ones. The next version of the Law was presented at the session of the Governmental Tobacco Control Board (GTCB) on May 29 and was supported by members of the Board. The delegation of Ukraine (consisted from 2 members of the GTCB) at the meeting of Working Group of the FCTC in March supported strong FCTC.

However such position of the GTCB was greatly opposed by the tobacco industry. Such corporations as BAT and Philip Morris have sent letters to the prime-minister, saying that Ukraine should not support the FCTC. Tobacco industry also organized letters from some members of the parliament to attack the GTCB for cooperation with NGOs and strong public health position. After this letter so-called Working Group on development of conception of tobacco control policy was established. This group was headed by vice-prime minister of Ukraine and consists of governmental officials, members of the parliament and representatives of all major tobacco companies in Ukraine and their front groups. No representatives of public health NGOs were included to the Working Group. So resolutions of the Working Group were actually pro-tobacco ones.
To counteract tobacco-industry public health NGOs have established the Coalition for Tobacco Free Ukraine in September. In December the session of the GTCB supported rather strong version of the Conception of Tobacco Control Policy in Ukraine. 

Content

Who we are?

History

Projects

Reports

Papers

Publications

Сайт противостояния табачной индустрии
Журнал тех, кто не боится быть трезвым
Coalition for tobacco free Ukraine
Центр помощи бросающим курить КВИТ
Международная Независимая Ассоциации Трезвости (МНАТ)
Alcohol and Drug Information Centre - ADIC-Ukraine

 

Hosted by uCoz