Egypt to adopt Protocol against illicit tobacco trade

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly approved on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, the presidential decree for the implementation of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, developed under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO). as part of its Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (CCLAT) and adopted in Seoul in November 2012. The protocol entered into force in September 2018.

This protocol includes a comprehensive range of measures to combat illicit trade divided into three categories: preventing illicit trade through comprehensive control of the supply chain, facilitating the application of measures in this area through international technical and judicial cooperation and finally strengthening sanctions.

In this perspective, the Protocol provides that each Party, within three years following ratification of the text, carries out checks, from the production stage, and during all related activities, transport, storage, transit, particularly in free zones.

Egypt's commitment in this area is part of the country's desire to implement all the provisions of the FCTC by 2030.[1], the official announcement having been made by the Egyptian Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the United Nations, in late 2018.

Tobacco is indeed a major public health problem and an obstacle to development in the world, particularly in this country. As early as 2011, following the ratification of the FCTC, Egypt had adopted measures such as the affixing of health warnings and a telephone number for help in quitting on all cigarette packets.

The FCTC 2030 project strengthens tobacco control in low- and middle-income countries by encouraging and supporting governments to accelerate implementation of the WHO treaty.

The stakes are high for Egypt. The country is one of the 15 countries in the world most affected by tobacco-related diseases. According to WHO data for 2017, 25%[2] of the Egyptian population (15 years and over) are daily tobacco smokers. This prevalence is particularly high among men and represents 50%.

©Generation Without Tobacco