PAHO urges countries to sign tobacco treaty prior to deadline

With just one day left before the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) closes for signature, the director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Mirta Roses, today urged PAHO's Member States to take advantage of the small window of opportunity remaining to sign the treaty.

Most Latin American countries have signed the FCTC, which was adopted unanimously by the World Health Assembly in May of 2003. However, just over half of the Caribbean PAHO Member States have done so or are scheduled to sign before the deadline at midnight on Tuesday, June 29.

Current signatories in the Caribbean are Belize, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados are scheduled to sign the treaty today at United Nations headquarters in New York, while Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Lucia have indicated their intention to sign by tomorrow's deadline. The only Caribbean countries that have not yet committed to signing the FCTC are the Bahamas, Dominica, and Guyana.

PAHO's director extended support to the countries that have signed and urged the remaining countries to sign in order to improve public health. "During the FCTC negotiations, Caribbean countries were among the most vocal supporters of a strong FCTC. Signature of the FCTC will reinforce that support and lead to better health in the Caribbean," said Dr. Roses.

Latin American countries, with the exception of Colombia, Cuba and the Dominican Republic have already signed the framework convention.

Signature of the FCTC does not require a country to meet the obligations of the treaty. It expresses a country's support for the treaty and a commitment to not undermine it, with an option to ratify at a later date. Ratification requires a country to implement the provisions of the treaty.

The FCTC is the first international public health treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization. It addresses policy and programmatic measures to reduce tobacco use, and sets up an infrastructure for monitoring of progress and exchange of information among countries. The FCTC will come into force following the 40th ratification. To date, 148 countries have signed the agreement and 22 have ratified it.

The Pan American Health Organization, founded in 1902, works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and raise the quality of life of their peoples. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization.

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