Entebbe 12th June 2014:- The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa has trained a cohort of lawyers on international trade law and tobacco control. The lawyers will on request, provide legal technical assistance to the Member States of the WHO African Region on trade related inter-linkages, challenges and opportunities for tobacco control. 

During the training that was held at Laico Lake Victoria Hotel in Entebbe, the lawyers explored and identified strategic legal pathways to support stronger tobacco control policies where tobacco control and trade issues interact. 

The training comes at a time when WHO Member States in the Africa region are implementing the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). At the same time, many member States will be acceding to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products which is nearing finalization.

Implementation of the WHO FCTC and the illicit trade protocol present Member States with a lot of actual and potential legal challenges arising from international trade and investment law. Therefore, training a cohort of lawyers to assist Member Sates identify available options to address these challenges is urgently needed.

Opening the workshop, the WHO Country Representative Dr Wondimagegnehu Alemu pointed participants to articles 2.2 and 5 of the WHO FCTC  noting that “I am happy you will exchange information and improve your knowledge on these and other aspects of  international trade and investment law and tobacco and options to address any potential challenges that may arise on this linkage.”

Dr Alemu encouraged participants to put into use the knowledge and skills from the training especially where it is related to tobacco control and international trade and investment law. He urged them to examine the Tobacco Industry efforts and its unsustainable trade and investment law arguments aimed at derailing tobacco control laws and share existing best practices.  “Deepen your expertise with the relevant legal technical tools to support our Member States” he said.

At the end of the three-days training, the lawyers resolved to support the efforts of the WHO Regional Office for Africa in the provision of legal technical assistance to Member States on the inter-linkages with international trade and investment law that effectively advances the implementation of the WHO FCTC and its Protocol in the Region.

In his closing remarks, Mr. William Onzivu, the acting Senior Project Officer, from the WHO Regional Office for Africa encouraged the lawyers to reinforce public goods and public interest approaches in their respective legal practice to promote and protect health of the people. He urged them to continually strengthen their capacities on health and International trade and investment law and to champion the implementation of the WHO FCTC and its Protocol in the Region.

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For more information please contact:

Benjamin Sensasi, Health Promotion Adviser
WHO Country Office
Tel 256-414-335500
Email: sensasib [at] who.int