Taxpayer Group Launches Week-Long Campaign Monitoring the World Health Organization’s Tobacco Control Meeting

For Immediate Release         Contact: Courtney Mattison (202-535-7492)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Between November 8 and 13, delegates from around the world will meet virtually at the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s (FCTC) 9th Conference of the Parties (COP9). The meeting was postponed from 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

As a leading taxpayer and consumer group that monitors government spending and promotes adult access to tobacco harm reduction products, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is joining with IGO Watch, and other allies, to closely monitor the meetings despite them being firmly closed to the public and the United States only having observer status under the FCTC. Unfortunately, as was the case in previous COPs, consumer voices – the same adults that have successfully quit smoking using novel tobacco products – will also be left out of this taxpayer-funded meeting. The WHO has physically removed TPA staff from its meetings in past years.

TPA will be hosting a series of live streams during the second portion of the meetings on TPA’s YouTube page Monday, November 8 through Friday, November 12, between 8:00 am and 11:00 am. TPA will have various guests from organizations and consumer groups talking about the conference and tobacco harm reduction. TPA’s livestreams will be hosted by TPA’s Consumer Center staff, including Director Lindsey Stroud and International Fellow Martin Cullip, to discuss both the FCTC and COP9 and the implications for tobacco harm reduction.

TPA’s President David Williams:

“The WHO completely disregards mounting evidence that e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn products are significantly less harmful. In fact, the WHO (backed by Michael Bloomberg taxpayer funding) has turned a blind eye to tobacco harm reduction, with the FCTC urging governments to prohibit adult access to novel tobacco products. Millions of people have used these products to stop smoking combustible cigarettes.  By ignoring the science, the WHO has condemned millions of adults to suffer the health consequences attributed to combustible cigarettes.

While there have been technological advances to tobacco products that have been able help those who unable or unwilling to quit, the WHO continues to pressure countries into banning such products. E-cigarettes are so effective that the publicly funded health care service for England is updating its guidance to allow these products to be prescribed ‘to help people stop smoking tobacco products.’

With the launch of COP9 week, TPA will steadfastly remain vigilant in the United States and the globe in promoting policies that embrace tobacco harm reduction, even as so-called public health organizations threaten to eliminate safer tobacco products from existence. Consumers and taxpayers deserve an honest discussion about these products, not an expensive dog and pony show from the WHO.”

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Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through the research, analysis and dissemination of information on the government’s effects on the economy.