Developing countries under-represented at FCTC international meetings

About 80 countries from the developing world could find themselves unable to afford to send representatives to future meetings of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), according to a story in MNT (Medical News Today).

The FCTC is reportedly considering cutting its funding for delegates from poorer countries to attend meetings.
MNT said that a study led by the University of Edinburgh had indicated that the cuts, apparently supported by the EU, Canada, and Australia, would undermine the representation of those countries most heavily burdened by the problems caused by tobacco use.

High income countries such as those in Europe were currently experiencing a nine per cent decline in smoking-related deaths each year, whereas in low and middle income countries smoking-related deaths were expected to double from 3.4 million in 2002 to 6.8 million by 2030.

The study, published in the journal Tobacco Control, found that despite bearing the greatest burden of smoking-related deaths, developing countries were already under-represented in global governance of tobacco control.