Global Tobacco Industry Lobbying Intensifies

For its fourth edition, the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index has added ten new countries to its analysis. While 29 countries have improved their score, 43 have seen their score deteriorate and 8 have seen no change. This would indicate a global increase in pressure and lobbying by the tobacco industry. This situation could largely be countered by the application of Article 5.3 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which obliges countries to protect their public policies from this interference.

Tobacco industry interference refers to a broad set of tactics and strategies used directly or indirectly by the tobacco industry to influence public policy, counter tobacco control efforts and any measures that go against its financial interests. Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization (WHO) treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), establishes a general obligation for country parties to protect their public policies from such interference and practical implementation guidelines have been adopted to this end.

Since 2019, the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index has been assessing the implementation of these various provisions and establishing a country rating. Initiated in 2014 at the regional level by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), this index is based on civil society reports reporting and documenting these interferences but also the provisions adopted by public authorities to protect themselves from them. The Global Index is published by the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC). 80 countries were analyzed in the 2021 edition, there are ten more in the 2023 edition[1].

More countries are suffering from tobacco industry interference

In the 2023 edition ranking, 43 countries have suffered a downgrade in their rating, 29 countries have improved their rating and 8 have not changed. The higher a country's score, the more open it is to industry interference and the lower its rating. The index assesses in particular the level of implementation of the practical recommendations of Article 5.3 of the FCTC, by analyzing the degree of industry involvement in decision-making bodies, the texts established, their possible participation in public events, or conversely the participation of elected officials in events organized by manufacturers. Added to this are the possible advantages that tobacco sector players may benefit from, particularly in terms of taxation, etc. This assessment is not limited to health players; it includes all public authorities concerned, including at the local level. The transparency rules implemented at the level of public actors as well as those imposed on actors in the tobacco sector are also studied, as are the policies relating to the declaration and management of conflicts of interest.

While all countries studied have faced interference from the tobacco industry since 2021, the increase in countries whose ratings have been downgraded seems to indicate an intensification of these interferences. Lobbying actions aimed at promoting the implementation of electronic products (vaping, heated tobacco) and masking the environmental impact of tobacco and nicotine products have particularly contributed to this overall deterioration.

Among the countries most subject to industry interference, the Dominican Republic is at the top, which gets the maximum score of 100, out of 100. Switzerland is placed in the second lowest position, at 89 out of 90, for having contributed to a greenwashing campaign and lacking transparency in meetings with the tobacco industry.[2]. Japan, Indonesia and Georgia follow next in line for their close relationships with the tobacco industry. Japanese ambassadors have been influential in favour of Japan Tobacco International (JTI) in Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Tanzania and Cambodia.

A ranking that only reflects part of the industry lobby

In first place among the countries least influenced by the tobacco industry is the Sultanate of Brunei, followed by New Zealand. France occupies a good position in this ranking, since it shares with the Netherlands the third place of the countries where this industry has the least influence. Next come Botswana, which has integrated Article 5.3 of the FCTC into its next anti-smoking law, and Ethiopia, which has deployed several anti-lobbying measures.

One of the limitations of this assessment of public policies is that it focuses on the measures adopted, without verifying that they are properly applied and followed up. On the other hand, since the influence of third parties is not taken into account in this index, obtaining a good score does not always reflect the reality of the weight of the tobacco industry in public policies.

Article 5.3 of the FCTC to protect tobacco control policies

" Tobacco industry works to sabotage government efforts to strengthen tobacco control " said Mary Assunta, lead author of the report[3]. "This report confirms that no one can afford inaction; governments have the means to put an end to industry interference," she continued. In order to better protect public health policies, she suggests in particular relying on Article 5.3 of the FCTC.

To limit this interference, recommendations are made in the conclusion of the report:

1. Involve all levels of public decision-making concerned in the fight against tobacco.
2. Implement a code of conduct or guidelines to create a protective barrier.
3. Where such relationships are strictly necessary, demand greater transparency from authorities that have dealings with representatives of the tobacco industry.
4. Reject any non-binding agreement with the tobacco industry.
5. Stop giving benefits to the tobacco industry.
6. Exclude public investments in the tobacco sector.
7. Stop participating in tobacco industry-sponsored charitable activities.
8. Ban tobacco industry contributions, including to political campaigns.
9. Ban and denormalize the tobacco industry's so-called corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.

Keywords: Interference, tobacco industry, CCLAT, article 5.3, lobby

©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] Assunta M, Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2023, Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control. Bangkok, Thailand, November 2023, 84 p.

[2] Tobacco Industry Interference Index: Switzerland Falls Further, AT, November 2023, accessed November 15, 2023.

[3] Efforts to protect policies from tobacco industry interference have declined in 43 countries, civil society groups say, STOP, published on November 14, 2014, consulted on November 15, 2023.