World meeting agrees to strengthen monitoring of tobacco products

A global meeting against illicit tobacco trade culminated this Wednesday in Panama with the commitment to promote the monitoring of these products through the use of technology and the International cooperation.

At the third meeting (MOP3) of the Protocol against Illicit Trade in Tobacco Productsin force since September 2018, delegates from almost 70 countries also debated tracking cigarette sales in duty-free zones, but there was no decision on the issue.

Tracking allows “see the route from when the product is produced until it goes on the market to validate that they are not being supplied [productos de tabaco] illicitly“Daniel Dorado, from the NGO Corporate Accountability, explained to AFP.

“This requires the presence of technology [de control independiente] inside the production factories and much of the illicit trade occurs in the retail sale of these products“added Dorado.

This three-day meeting followed the tenth conference (COP10) of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) of the World Health Organization (WHO)which culminated on Saturday with an agreement on environmental protection.

Taking advantage of the presence of the MOP3 delegates in Panama, a Russian company presented a digital tracking and tracing system for tobacco products which, according to its directors, contributes to combating smuggling and tax evasion.

Several delegates from nations of Latin America and Africa They attended the exhibition of this system which, according to the company, is in use in Russia and five other countries.

It is estimated that the tobacco It kills more than eight million people a year worldwide, including 1.3 million passive smokers exposed to second-hand smoke, according to the WHO.

Also “There is a link between the illicit tobacco trade and the high incidence of tobacco-related diseases. tobacco”explained the Secretariat of the Framework Convention.

About 10% of the global cigarette market is illicit, but in some countries that figure exceeds 50%, according to estimates by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

The reduction in the cost of cigarettes represents a “serious problem” for public health, particularly for the youngest and poorest, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)which is part of the WHO.

However, some NGOs believe that the tobacco industry exaggerates the figures of the cigarette smuggling in order for governments to reduce taxes on tobacco.