Ghana to host tobacco control confab (Page 3)

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has chosen Ghana as the host of an international conference on tobacco control between April 20 and April 23, 2010.
Paricipants from 20 WHO-member countries are expected to attend the meeting dubbed the Second Working Group Meeting on Article 17 and 18 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of WHO. It is evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health and also aims at curbing tobacco related deaths and diseases.
To organise a successful meeting in Ghana, the Ministry of Health (MoH) on behalf of the Government of Ghana, yesterday inaugurated a nine-member Local Planning Committee.
The Chairman of the Committee is the Chief Psychiatrist, Dr Akwasi Osei. Other members are the Focal Person Tobacco Control Programme of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) Mrs Edith Wellington; the Director of Administration and Gender at the MoH, Mrs Marian A. Tackie and a representative of WHO Ghana office, Ms Sophia Twum-Barima.
The rest are a representative of the Attorney General’s Department, Mrs Pearl Akiwimi-Siriboe; a member of the Coalition of NGOs in Tobacco Control, Ms Martha Osei; a member of Consumer Concerns Initiative, Mr Ben Ahiagbe, as well as a representative each of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who are yet to be named.
Inaugurating the Local Planning Committee, the outgoing Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Nii Oakley Kwei-Kuma said the first working group meeting was held in India in September, 2009.
He pointed out the main objective of the WHO Working Group Meeting was to interact with other global players to deliberate and strategize on the alternative livelihoods to tobacco growing in order to protect the environment and the health of persons in the production and manufacturing of tobacco products.
He said it was also to elaborate recommendations on effective measures that parties might take to promote sustainable alternatives to tobacco growing and update experiences from it first meeting by introducing recent experiences and cross national reviews and policy tools.
Dr Kweikuma added that the participants from 20 were also expected to undertake an assessment of sustainable alternatives to tobacco growing including tobacco industry practices, and any policies or measures that supported or facilitated tobacco growing.
For his part, Dr Osei said “Ghana, I must say is in the good books of WHO as evidenced by even their choice of Ghana for this meeting and we cannot afford to disappoint them”.
The Chief Psychiatrist said at least 45 people from about 20 countries will assembly here in Ghana to elaborate on the guidelines which will be used by WHO to guide various countries in their implementation of Article 17 and 18.
He pointed out the document will then be discussed and adopted by the General Assembly towards the end of the year as a guide for the world towards the control of tobacco production, marketing and consumption.
He gave the assurance that the committee members do their best for the meeting to be a memorable and a very productive one so that the working group could produce a document worthy of its sort.
Tobacco, according to the WHO is unhealthy, since it causes chronic disease which could lead to death.