The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World does not act for public health

The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, established with nearly $1 billion from Philip Morris International, functions essentially as a front group for tobacco interests. Appeals to the public health community have since been repeatedly, firmly and publicly rejected, as the interests of public health and those of the tobacco companies are irreconcilable:- WHO has made it clear that it will not partner with the Foundation;- The UN has confirmed its policy of non-engagement;- More than 250 public health organizations and leaders have made it clear that the Foundation “delivers Philip Morris’ institutional relations strategy”;- Its meetings aimed at engaging the public health community have been cancelled; and,- His claims for independence have been refuted.Yet, from its own website, the Smoke-Free Foundation continues to pretend that its interests are aligned with those of public health, and that its activities are in line with those of other health organisations. In fact, the Foundation is working to promote the interests of its sole funder, Philip Morris. Philip Morris continues to oppose any public policy aimed at reducing tobacco consumption, particularly among young people. The University of Bath, which publishes its work on the website Tobacco Tactics, or even the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), or Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP) and Tobacco Free Portfolios (TFP) are targets of the Foundation's attacks, in particular because these organizations of researchers and health professionals reveal and alert on the tobacco company's strategy. They thus continue research work on the lobbying methods of this industry; they conduct observatories to monitor and document the practices of tobacco companies and they factually document public officials and other economic actors on the need to control the industry's activity and to disengage from the tobacco sector. At a time when Philip Morris's objective is to convince governments and international organizations that it has changed - while continuing to sell and promote its cigarettes and to counter the measures by reducing consumption - it is strategically advantageous for the foundation to claim that it is linked to trusted organizations. But this is a facade that in no way corresponds to the actions and intentions of the tobacco company.Some examples of attempted alliances In 2019, the Foundation published an FAQ page relating to its so-called “Tobacco Transformation Index” in which it claimed to “share common goals with organisations such as Tobacco Tactics and SEATCA”. This reference has since been removed following a letter of demand from the University of Bath (which hosts Tobacco Tactics) and SEATCA. More recently, in January 2020, the Foundation claimed in a blog post that the STOP and Tobacco Free Portfolios programmes were “complementary” to those developed within the Foundation.©Tobacco Free Generation| ©National Committee Against Smoking |