By BUUMBA CHIMBULU
TOBACCO control advocates have expressed disappointment with Zambia’s failure to comply with the guidelines and endorsements of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
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The WHO Framework calls for state parties to enact the Tobacco Control Bill and ban advertising, sponsorships which include Corporate Social responsibility.
The advocates indicated that Zambia’s failure to comply with this Framework had been shown by the continued delays in enacting the Tobacco Control Bill despite Cabinet having approved the bill in principle to have it introduced before the floor of Parliament.
The Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD) together with the Young Professional’s Network recently held a human billboard protest as a way of pushing for the speedy enactment of the Tobacco Control Bill which has dragged for the last 15 years.
CTPD Communications Specialist, Mwaka Nyimbili, in a statement said: “we are also concerned that the delay in finalising the Tobacco Control Bill has profited the tobacco industry as can be seen from the increase in tobacco products advertising, importation and selling of tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and vaping devices.”
On behalf of the advocates, Ms Nyimbili demanded a clear roadmap from the ministries of Health and Justice on when the Bill would be finalised and tabled in parliament.
“Losing approximately 7, 000 deaths annually to tobacco-related illnesses remains a huge burden to the country’s productive sectors.
“We need to protect the present and future generations from the harmful effects of tobacco products considering that Zambia is the primary target for the industry due to the lack of strong tobacco control policies,” she said.
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