Bangladesh: New study warns of tobacco industry interference

The results of a Bangladeshi study published on November 28, 2020, warn of the tobacco industry's significant interference in the country's public health policies.

On November 28, 2020, the results of a study conducted by PROGGA Knowledge for Progress on tobacco industry interference were released during an online webinar jointly organized by PROGGA and the Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance[1] (ATMA)[2]. These results were presented in a report entitled "Tobacco Industry Interference Index: FCTC Article 5.3 Implementation Report[3], Bangladesh.

Since 2018, PROGGA has conducted this study annually in numerous countries to assess the degree of tobacco industry interference in public health policies and the level of implementation of the guidelines of Article 5.3 of the FCTC.4]. The 2020 report ranks Bangladesh 27th out of 57 countries surveyed[5]. Among the South Asian countries, Bangladesh occupies the last position.

A tobacco industry with great influence among political decision-makers and the administration

According to the study findings, in Bangladesh, the tobacco industry is particularly using corporate social responsibility programs "as a pretext to get closer to policy makers, government officials and administration in order to exploit this connection to gain various benefits and interfere in tobacco control activities."6].

Furthermore, the report notes that tobacco companies use their corporate social responsibility activities to enhance their public image, by striving to give these activities the widest possible visibility. For example, the check presented in September 2019 by British American Tobacco Bangladesh to the Minister of Labour and Employment, intended for the Bangladesh Workers' Welfare Foundation[7], was published on the ministry's official Facebook page, with supporting photographs[8].

Furthermore, the report states that the tobacco industry has close ties with the National Board of Revenue (NBR), Bangladesh's central tax authority.9]. It reveals in particular that, following a request from the Bangladesh Cigarette Manufacturers Association[10] (BCMA), the NBR asked the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to take into consideration the opinion of tobacco manufacturers before finalizing the national tobacco control policy. While the report emphasizes that the ministry did not take this opinion into account, it recalls that the WHO FCTC stipulates that "under no circumstances should the tobacco industry be involved in the formulation of tobacco control policies"[11].

The State and several ministries criticized for their lack of action and their hypocrisy

During the webinar, several speakers criticized the inaction and double-dealing of the Bangladeshi government and several ministries regarding tobacco and smoking issues. MP Saber Hossain Chowdhury, chairman of the parliamentary committee on environment, forests and climate change, criticized the government for owning shares in British American Tobacco Bangladesh: "On the one hand, the government wants to control tobacco consumption, and on the other hand, it has shares in a tobacco company. Under these conditions, how can we eradicate tobacco?"12].

“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has promised to build a tobacco-free country by 2040. But unfortunately, several ministries have done little to achieve this goal […] The question is whether the government wants to be free from the influence of tobacco companies.”13], he summarized.

The report makes several recommendations aimed at reducing this interference.

The overall assessment of the study report is as follows: "Although Bangladesh has made some progress in implementing Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), it is not at all satisfactory."14]. The report thus makes several recommendations intended to reduce the tobacco industry's interference in public health policies.

The report recommends, among other things, that the current Tobacco Control Act be amended to prohibit tobacco companies from engaging in corporate social responsibility activities.15].

Furthermore, it recommends raising awareness among all ministries regarding the obligations of Article 5.3 of the FCTC, so that they become aware of the many and varied methods of interference by the tobacco industry.16]. On this, AAMS Arefin Siddique, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bangladesh News Agency[17], said: "The prevalence of smoking is such a problem that it cannot be solved by the sole effort of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. All ministries should participate in a concerted effort to curb this scourge."[18].