|
HBED Tobacco Workshop:
"Building Lebanese NGO capacity for tobacco control policy advocacy"
Organized by the Ministry of Health , the National Tobacco Control Program and FHS,
September 14-15, 2009 in West Hall, Auditorium A
26 NGOs attended
the training given by experts in the field of tobacco control policy, health policy,
and communication.
The workshop's objectives were:
- To increase the knowledge of NGOs regarding evidence based tobacco control policy, as outlined by the FCTC.
- To inform NGOs of tobacco industry strategies and tactics in countering tobacco control.
- To increase knowledge and skills on advocacy strategies specific for tobacco control.
- To identify possible areas of tobacco control policy advocacy of interest for each NGO.
- To identify with NGOs possible barriers and challenges to their work (including financial)
- To identify current available resources (human and financial) to put on this effort.
- To conceptualize a small advocacy event addressing one tobacco control policy of concern.
The enthusiasm of participants was contagious. All the NGO’s
had experience working on tobacco control and all were ready and willing to move to advocate for tobacco control policy. They
also expressed interest in forming a coalition or alliance of NGO’s that
would be able to strategize at the national level.
The involvement of the MoH and the National Tobacco Control
Program was seen as crucial for the success of their work.
The workshop discussed the practices and tactics of the tobacco industry to undermine tobacco control efforts in Lebanon. Being aware of the tobacco industry’s strategies to circumvent tobacco control will arm NGOs with the right strategies and approaches to fight them. The strategies of the tobacco industry from country to country are very similar
- they always place profit above health. Their main interests is to protect their market freedoms
by promoting a good public image. The role of civil
society is crucial. The main hope is that this group
can assist civil society groups in demanding the enforcement of tobacco control policies and regulations.
If the momentum and commitment of these NGOs for tobacco control policy advocacy is built on and continues, Lebanon
may be able to reach its goal to implement and enforce the FCTC
it ratified in December 2005.
Read about it in Arabic
in ArabWeek
|
