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Report: Five Years In, tobacco Treaty is Saving Lives, Continues to be Stymied by Industry, US Still Absent 

Today representatives from the 168 ratifying countries of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) tobacco treaty gathered to celebrate its landmark fifth anniversary. As part of the convening, the treaty Secretariat released a comprehensive report on the history of the treaty, assessing its successes to date and the challenges that remain.

The civil society organizations, like U.S.-based Corporate Accountability International, responsible for mobilizing global grassroots support for the treaty were also on hand to discuss the persistent and primary threat to the treaty’s full implementation: interference by the tobacco industry.

“These countries deserve a lot of credit. Each has overcome significant industry opposition and pressure to advance the lifesaving measures of this treaty,” said Gigi Kellett, Challenging Big Tobacco campaign director for Corporate Accountability International. “The threat from Big Tobacco is still eminent. And still there is reason for great optimism, given the success of the treaty to date.”

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