Middle-income WHO REPORT on the global TOBA CCO ep idemic 2011

73 WHO REPORT ON THE GLOBAL TOBACCO EPIDEMIC, 2011 Venezuela establishes an Intergovernmental Commission for Tobacco Control Building national capacity to carry out an effective and sustainable national tobacco control programme is critical to reversing the tobacco epidemic. Most countries have a national tobacco control programme, but many do not staff them adequately At least 154 countries have a national agency with some responsibility for tobacco control objectives, a slight increase over the results shown in the WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2009 , with low- and middle-income countries somewhat more likely to have such an agency than high-income countries. However, many countries do not sufficiently staff these agencies at a level that adequately supports tobacco control policy implementation. Only 20 of high-income countries and 24 of middle- and low-income countries have an agency with at least five full-time equivalent staff members, showing virtually no change from the previous survey period; just three countries Burundi, Pakistan and Turkey increased programme staffing to this level in the past two years. More than 30 countries either do not have a national tobacco control agency or have not established national objectives for tobacco control, which are critical foundations for complying with WHO FCTC treaty obligations. Ministry of Popular Power for Health and Social Protection Even prior to ratifying the WHO FCTC, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela had begun implementing most of the treaty’s tobacco control measures. To further satisfy treaty requirements, the country’s Ministry of Health established an Intergovernmental Commission for Tobacco Control to coordinate tobacco control programmes across all arms of government. The Ministries of Education, Environment, Interior Relations and Justice, Exterior Relations, Defence, Work and Social Security, and Economy and Finances joined this Commission, as did other government agencies including the National Integrated Service of the Customs and Tax Administration, National Antidrug Office, Rafael Rangel National Institute of Hygiene and the Institute of Prevention, Health and Labour Security. Creation of the Commission shows strong support for tobacco control across all government sectors in Venezuela. A practical framework outlines responsibilities for each involved entity, such as monitoring and enforcement, taxation and finance, cessation support, and education, and provides a coordination mechanism for all activities and programmes. The Commission also cooperates with regional and international organizations including WHO, the Pan-American Health Organization PAHO, Oras-Conhu, Mercosur and others. The Commission’s efforts in advancing tobacco control policies have resulted in bans on tobacco advertising and promotion, strong health warning label requirements for cigarette packs, tobacco tax rates that are among the highest in South America, and mechanisms to prevent smuggling. Continued coordination of the work being done by the Commission’s constituent organizations is intended to result in even stronger tobacco control measures in Venezuela in the future.