Role of Civil Society in Tobacco Control

Hemant Goswami
hemant@tobaccofreeindia.org

www.TobaccoFreeIndia.org
Hemant Goswami hemant@tobaccofreeindia.org April 27, 2012

WHO ARE THE PLAYERS IN THE
TOBACCO GAME?

1. Tobacco Industry & partners
2. Government – Ministry of Health,
Finance, Commerce, Agriculture
3. Civil Society
4. WHO (FCTC, Etc.)
5. International Forum’s and Global
NGO’s
6. VICTIMS (Unwillingly funding the
industry)
i.e. common people/ farmers/ etc.

WHO’S ‘CIVIL SOCIETY?’

• Me and You
• Everyone around
• When registered in group for a
specific public objective – NGO
• Non-State players
• Expected to be non-political and
community oriented
• Expectation of FREE & INDEPENDENT
voice and action from the ‘Civil
Society’


HOW ‘CIVIL SOCIETY’ IS PERCEIVED

• Partner?
• Ally?
• Outsiders?
• Enemy?
• Money seekers?
• Swindlers?
• Nuisance makers?
• Spoilsport?
WHY?????????????????


HOW TOBACCO INDUSTRY VIEWS
CSO’S/ NGO’S


WHAT WILL THE TOBACCO DO


It will always interfere and upset the good
work

The industry has a clear-cut strategy

It has a well laid out plan too

The biggest tool of the industry is to find an
ally with the dark forces – the world of
bribery and corruption


FOR THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY

• Civil Society is a nuisance for the
tobacco industry
• The unpredictability which comes along
is the biggest game changer for the
industry
• Innovation brought in by the civil society
is another problem for the industry
• New advocacy tools and action often
surprises the industry and they have to
work extra hard to contain the damage


WHERE SHOULD CIVIL SOCIETY BE
PLACED?

• Civil society is the best FRIEND of
‘Tobacco Control’ action
• Civil society adds focus and
innovation in planning, strategy,
execution and action
• The most critical and most aggressive
civil society groups are the most
useful one’s for tobacco control


HOW CIVIL SOCIETY SHOULD BE
ENGAGED BY THE GOVERNMENT(s)
1. Identify
2. Revalidate
3. Partner
4. Train
5. Build capacity
6. Network and weave
7. Allow natural difference of opinion to grow and engage
everyone without taking sides. Don’t interfere in inter
and intra organizational dynamics (Mother NGO’s or
umbrella organizations have a very limited role. Don’t
over emphasize on it.)
8. Use the Spoke-and-Wheel theory to work with Civil
Society partners.
9. Support
10. Recognize and share credit
11. Multiply with continuous identification and motivation


UTILISE CIVIL SOCIETY FOR …

• Advocacy
• Community networking
• Community feedback
• Lobbying
• Policy intervention and innovation
• Litigation and independent legal action
• Research and surveys
• Ground level action
• Implementation and execution
• Monitoring
• Etc…


LITIGATION IS NOT A BAD THING

 Use of litigation as a means of achieving public health policy goals
 Litigation can complement to a broader, comprehensive
approach to tobacco control policy making
 Though it is believed that public health goals are more
directly achievable through the political process than
through litigation, but tobacco control being a dynamic
public health problem with a third party like the tobacco
corporate playing a very active role in disturbing the
policies so it is now believed that the boundaries between
litigation and the politics of public health in relation to tobacco
control has blurred.
 Over a period of time it has been proved that litigation in
tobacco control has indeed laid the foundation of meaningful
policy changes.


EXAMPLE OF RESULTS BY LITIGATION
Master Settlement Agreement

Under the Master Settlement Agreement,
seven tobacco companies agreed to
change the way tobacco products are
marketed and pay the states an
estimated $206 billion (+ Other Costs). The
tobacco companies also agreed to
finance a $1.5 billion anti-smoking
campaign, open previously secret
industry documents, and disband
industry trade groups which Attorneys
General maintain conspired to conceal
damaging research from the public.


HOOKAH BAR EXAMPLE


CIVIL SOCIETY PRESSURE


CIVIL SOCIETY PRESSURE

Video


INDUSTRY IS ALSO ALWAYS ACTIVE

 The industry has newer game-plans
now
 Strategies include
 Using Media
 Influencing the law-makers
 Reaching the legal division
 Infiltrating Civil Society
 Planting Moles
 Getting the law diluted at the inception stage itself
 Confusing and misinforming
 Using hired guns
 Diluting the enforcement by all means

 Government (Official machinery) can’t
handle everything


INDUSTRY STRATEGIES

Industry strategy in 80’s
to counter second-
hand smoke issue


Government of India commitment

FCTC Article 5.3 Guidelines:
Protecting tobacco control from
tobacco industry interference


Article 5.3

• In setting and implementing their
public health policies with
respect to tobacco control,
Parties shall act to protect these
policies from commercial and
other vested interests of the
tobacco industry in accordance
with their national law.

LIMIT GOVERNMENT INTERACTIONS
WITH THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY

• Restrict interactions to those
necessary for regulatory purposes
• Public meetings with public notice
• Records of meetings made public
• No partnership with the industry on
any public health policy initiatives


NO PARTNERSHIP BY GOVERNMENT AGENCY OR
ITS OFFICIALS WITH THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY

• No financial interest in tobacco industry
• No industry employee or ally to be employed
or nominated to Government bodies,
committees, advisory groups
• Government officials engaged in tobacco
control policy to be limited from taking
tobacco industry employment within defined
timeframe.
• No in-kind or monetary payments to be
accepted from the industry
• Prohibit political or campaign contributions
by the industry or require its disclosure


Thank You

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Role of Civil Society in Tobacco Control

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