NEWS HEADLINES

World Conference on Tobacco or Health, Mumbai 2009

Preparations are well under way for the next World Conference, with the call for abstracts now available at www14wctoh.org. INGCAT is a member of the organising committee and will co-chair one of the conference's 10 hemi-plenary sessions. INGCAT is also working with the International Union for Health Promotion and Education in its advisory role for the conference.

Global Treatment Partnership

INGCAT's Global Tobacco Dependence Treatment Partnership (GTP) is currently working on a survey of training arrangments for treatment providers around the world. it expects to have early results available by late summer 2008. The GTP is also supporting the UK's Royal College of Nursing in the establishment of a global network for nurses working in this area.

Sudan joins international survey

Following INGCAT's involvement in a World Bank funded programme on lung health in Sudan, the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Survey is to be established there. The Survery s based at the University of Waterloo in Canada, which will collablrate with Sudan's EpiLab to implement the survey. The survey provides invaluable insights into the impact of policy implementation (or lack of it) in participating countries and helps shape implementation guidelines for the FCTC. Read more about the survey at www.itcproject.org.

FCTC update

The FCTC now has 158 Parties, with Colombia the latest country to ratify. These countries commit to a wide set of measures including a complete ban on tobacco advertising and effective warnings on tobacco packaging. Parties have a time limit to introduce these measures and for many, 2008 brings the deadline. The Conference of the Parties is currently working on implementation guidelines and on its first Protocol, which will address illicit trade.