ATIM endorses Joint Letter to the UN Secretary General regarding the role of the Tobacco Industry in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

ATIM supports the call for the General Secretary Guterres to reject the proposal by Mr Michael Møller (outgoing Director-General of the United Nations Office) for a “more nuanced” relationship between the tobacco industry and the UN system. This proposal undermines the milestones achieved for tobacco control and will threaten the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Furthermore, it is in direct conflict with international law, in particular Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) which specifically states that, “ 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.” Click here for the letter of response to the note Antonio Guterres received from the outgoing Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), Michael Møller. 

ATIM is the Southern African observatory hosted by the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University. It is led by internationally renowned tobacco control expert, Professor Lekan Ayo-Yusuf and monitor’s the tobacco industry on the African continent to ensure that it does not interfere with efforts by governments and world health bodies to implement tobacco control. For enquiries contact ATIM, at info@atim.co.za.