New fund to help governments defend health policies

Bloomberg Philanthropies (BPh) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) said on Wednesday they were creating a $4 million fund to help governments defend their tobacco control policies.

A Reuters report, relayed by the TMA, said the fund would be administered by the US-based Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

BPh and BMGF said countries with limited resources should not be bullied into making bad health policy choices.

In a briefing, Michael Bloomberg said the new fund would “help countries who are sued by the tobacco industry fight back in court and win”.

He said that while he supported capitalism and trade, the industry’s use of international trade agreements to prevent countries from passing tobacco control laws was unacceptable.

The issue, he added, was “about sovereignty and whether a country has the right to set its own public health policies”.

The initial investment is expected to grow as more donors join.