GPTC BULLETIN
~ November/December 2001 ~


Contents:

1. Welcome to new GPTC participants
2. Congratulations to new global partnerships
3. Global partners take ACTION!
4. Miscellaneous odds & ends
--> a) GPTC in the news
--> b) NC group meets w/ Chinese delegation
--> c) GPTC groups attend FCTC negotiations

1) WELCOME NEW GPTC PARTICIPANTS!

Groups that signed up in November & December 2001, in order by country, state:

  • Dhaka Ahsania Mission (Bangladesh)
  • Welfare Association for Cancer Care (Bangladesh)
  • Action pour le Volontariat et la Solidarite des Jeunes (Cameroun)
  • Adolescent Medical Centre (China, HK)
  • HRIDAY (India)
  • INGCAT Task Force - South East Asia (India)
  • Fresh Breath Club Penang (Malaysia)
  • Janak Memorial Services Center (Nepal)
  • Nepal Anuvrat Samiti (Nepal)
  • MORNA - Associacao Cultural Luso-Africana (Portugal)
  • John Tung Foundation (Taiwan R.O.C.)
  • Association Togolaise des Jeunes pour le Developpement (Togo)
  • Alaska Native Health Board (USA - AK)
  • Nina Jones (USA - AZ)
  • Florida A & M University Minority Resource Development Center (USA - FL)
  • Danya International (USA - MD)
  • Breaking Free, Inc (USA - MN)
  • American Lung Association of New York State (USA - NY)
  • Scott France (Clackamas County Public Health) (USA - OR)

2) CONGRATULATIONS TO NEW GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS!

  • For a Tobacco-Free Albania (Albania)
    New York State Dept of Health Tobacco Control Program (USA - NY)
  • Association Burundaise des Consommateurs (Burundi)
    Breaking Free, Inc (USA, MN)
  • Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (India)
    Northwestern Memorial Hospital Wellness Institute (USA - IL)
  • HRIDAY (India)
    Rock City Tobacco Free Kids (USA - WI)
  • Fresh Breath Club Penang (Malaysia)
    Youth 2 Youth (USA - NH)
  • Journalists Advocacy for Safe Environment and Tobacco Eradication (Nigeria)
    Strive Media Institute (USA - WI)
  • Comision Nacional Permanente de lucha Antitabaquica des Peru (Peru)
    University of Miami Tobacco Research and Evaluation Coordinating Center (USA - FL)
  • Asociacion Peruana contra el Tabaquismo (Peru)
    The Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco (USA - DC)
  • Philippines Tobacco Control Coalition
    Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (USA - DC)
  • MORNA - Associacao Cultural Luso-Africana (Portugal)
    Positively Youth (USA - MA)
  • John Tung Foundation (Taiwan R.O.C)
    Danya International (USA, MD)
  • Action on Smoking and Health Foundation/South East Asia Alliance (Thailand)
    Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment and Leadership (USA - CA)
  • PATH Canada (Vietnam)
    Denver Public Health, Tobacco Prevention and Control Program (USA - CO)

3) GLOBAL PARTNERS TAKE ACTION!

Here is a sampling of the projects that various global partners are working on together:

BULGARIA - OREGON (US): LOCAL SURVEYS
Liliana Tsoneva-Pentcheva of the Association "Women Against Tobacco" (Bulgaria) and Patricia Hale (Oregon, USA) recently conducted parallel surveys in their respective communities on children's exposure to and attitudes about second-hand smoke in the home. Patricia presented their research results at the National Conference on Tobacco or Health in New Orleans, USA (November 2001), and would like to do a similar presentation at Oregon's upcoming tobacco control conference (March 2002). She and Liliana plan to do a joint presentation at the 12th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Helsinki, Finland (2003). In the meantime, they intend to use the survey results to garner media attention, raise awareness about passive smoking, and push for stronger tobacco control legislation. For more info email: <hale@europa.com>, <lilitsoneva@exco.net>

GEORGIA - CALIFORNIA (US): SMOKE-FREE PRISONS
Revaz Tataradze of the Georgian Medical Association, who was recently invited to participate in a project on Health Promotion in Women's Prisons, asked his global partner, Stephen Hansen of the California Medical Association (USA), for advice based on California's experience with tobacco-free prisons. In California, prisons are are considered workplaces and are therefore covered under the state's workplace smoking ban, at least indoors. Stephen noted that prisons in 32 of 50 U.S. states have some degree of smoking prohibition, and many local jails have a total ban. He added that it is interesting how easily people stop in a stimulus-free environment -- no other people smoking, and no matches, ashtrays or tobacco. Very few problems with revolts or other protests occur if the warden and political officials are firmly in support of the smoke free policy. Additionally, the policy saves a considerable amount of money in prison healthcare costs. For more info email: <rezo@gmx.net>, <hansens2@pacbell.net>

GHANA - ILLINOIS (US): PUBLIC EVENTS, LETTERS, & RESOURCE CENTER
BNICEH (Illinois, USA) and the Environment and Development Association of Ghana recently established communication. BNICEH sponsored the Great American SmokeOut in Chicago at Rogers Park Library and used the event to publicly announce their partnership with Ghana and show Infact's documentary "Making a Killing." BNICEH also sent a letter to President Bush that mentioned their global partner EDAG and the need for a strong Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Ayo Maat, BNICEH's President wrote an article about tobacco's global terror to share with other GPTC members. In it she notes that tobacco kills more persons of Afrikan (African) descent than AIDS, murder, gang violence, plane crashes, terrorism, car accidents, cocaine, and heroin combined! EDAG is interested in developing a tobacco control resource center in Ghana, with assistance from BNICEH. For more information email: <ayomaat@yahoo.com>, <mensahtg@yahoo.com>

MALAYSIA - NEW HAMPSHIRE (US): YOUTH TO YOUTH ADVOCACY
Fresh Breath Club Penang (Malaysia) and Youth 2 Youth (New Hampshire, USA), just matched, recently established contact. At a recent Youth 2 Youth team meeting, youth learned about Malaysia. Youth 2 Youth produces hard-hitting anti-tobacco radio Public Service Announcements, e.g. "Another stupid thing that Philip Morris has done," and have used examples from around the world. They are also planning a New England teen conference in March at which they plan to highlight tobacco marketing and youth-led tobacco control advocacy abroad. They hope that their partnership with Malaysia will help them in these efforts. For more info email: <cairel_sofwan@yahoo.com>, <d.mitchell@ci.dover.nh.us>

ROMANIA - MARYLAND (US): SMOKEFREE LEGISLATION
Cornel Radu of Romanian Movement for Nonsmokers Rights - AER PUR recently sent Smoke free Maryland (USA) information about tobacco marketing and tobacco control efforts in Romania. Smoke Free Maryland incorporated the materials into a large poster that was displayed at the National Conference on Tobacco or Health and used to educate U.S. attendees about the tobacco industry's global trail of manipulation and deceit and what activists in Romania are doing about it. The two groups hope to collaborate more in the future around the promotion of smoke-free policies. For more info email: <c_radu@hotmail.com>, <mbreaux@medchi.org>

UGANDA - ARIZONA: TALK SHOW RADIO
This month, Barbara Bruce of The Navajo County Tobacco Control Education (Arizona, USA) and Prevention Program hosted GPTC coordinator Anna White on her weekly radio show "Tobacco Talk." They discussed Barbara meeting her global partner, Angelo Izama of Monitor FM (Uganda) in New Orleans, George Harrison's death & high smoking rates in Liverpool, England; Women and "Light" & "Mild" cigarettes; the Palau government's refusal to meet with Philip Morris to discuss the FCTC; and the dangers of second hand smoke. In addition to their radio advocacy projects, Barbara and Angelo are working on a joint article on "women & tobacco." For more info email: <quitlady@juno.com>, <izama@another.com>

UKRAINE - CALIFORNIA (US): INFORMATION SHARING
A group of students at the Ukrainian State Maritime Technical University, led by Lisa Houston (a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer), were recently matched with Alameda Country Tobacco Control Program's Students Towards a Rapid Smoke-Free School (STARSS) project (California, USA). STARSS has sent materials over to Ukraine and the two groups are currently brainstorming a joint course of action to take, perhaps a smoke-free university project. Lisa has also been helpful in documenting tobacco marketing strategies in Hungary and the Ukraine, that could be useful for tobacco control efforts in the U.S. In Budapest, for example, BAT uses New York City and the Statue of Liberty to attract young people. And in the Ukraine, the tobacco industry has launched an aggressive "youth smoking prevention" advertising campaign in an effort to thwart tobacco control legislation. For more info email: <sangleng@yahoo.com>, <nosmoke4nik@yahoo.com>

UKRAINE - WISCONSIN (US): YOUTH-TO-YOUTH ADVOCACY
Kelly French, a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer with Kobelyaky Education Training Complex #1 (Ukraine) and Kathy Hahn of Franklin Health Dept (Wisconsin, USA) plan to establish youth-to-youth correspondence. Kathy sent Kelly tobacco control materials from Wisconsin that could be adapted for use in Kelly's school. She was shocked to learned that in Kelly's school, teachers often reward students for favors in cigarettes! Once the partnership is further established, Kathy and Kelly will explore joint youth advocacy campaigns, such as establishing smoke-free school policies, regular monitoring of tobacco advertising, and/or petition campaigns. For more information email:
<naturefan23@hotmail.com> <kathy.hahn@ci.franklin.wi.us>

YUGOSLAVIA - KANSAS (US): YOUTH-TO-YOUTH WNTD ACTIVITY
Andjelka Dzeletovic of the Institute of Public Health (Yugoslavia ) and Mary Jayne Hellebust of the Kansas Smokeless Kids Initiative (USA) recently participated in a telephone conference call and decided to pursue a youth-to-youth partnership between youth in Topeka, KS and youth in Belgrade. Andjelka just finished a successful counteradvertising aimed at denormalizing smoking in public places. The campaign involved sponsoring non-smoking evenings and competitions in popular Belgrade cafes, training young people to mobilize their peers in their community, and billboards. It resulted in 150 media stories and a reduction smoking rates. Andjelka sees the youth-to-youth partnership as a means of keeping the young people who have been mobilized through her campaign interested and involved with tobacco control advocacy. The plan is to link the youth groups and encourage them to develop a joint action campaign leading up to World No Tobacco Day 2002. Andjelka and Mary Jayne hope that through their global partnership, they will be able to garner media coverage and gain the support of city officials in Topeka and Belgrade for stronger tobacco control legislation. For more information email: <vladadz@EUnet.yu> <kski@cjnetworks.com>

* ATTENTION! ARE YOU & YOUR PARTNER...

...WORKING ON A COOL PROJECT THAT'S NOT LISTED HERE? Contact Essential
Action and let us know what you and your partner are up to -- for
inclusion in the next GPTC Bulletin!

...OR STYMIED RE: WHAT JOINT PROJECT TO PURSUE? Contact Essential Action
for guidance and/or to arrange a telephone conference call to brainstorm
ideas and generate an action plan.


4) GPTC ODDS & ENDS

a) GPTC in the news

Your group's involvement in GPTC is newsworthy -- even if you don't have a partner yet, as Iqbal Masud of Dhaka Ahsania Mission (Bangladesh) demonstrated. In November, he was able to get a short story in a Dhaka newspaper about his organization signing up for GPTC. See: http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/media/bd011111.jpg

Here are some other examples from around the world. In all cases, reporters relied heavily on the press releases GPTC participants supplied:

US - OR - Jerry Gabay, Nuestra Comunidad Sana
"Hood River Group Joins Global Tobacco Fight," May 30, 2001
http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/media/usor010530.jpg

BURUNDI - Nestor Bikorimana, Association Burundaise des Consommateurs
"Unissons nos efforts pour combattre le tabagisme," June 2, 2001
http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/media/bi010602.jpg

PAKISTAN - Tariq Parvez, Pakistan Society for Cancer Prevention
"'Resistance to Tobacco Transnationals' week from today," October 9, 2000
http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/media/pk001009.jpg

b) NC meeting with Chinese delegation

In November Deborah Bryan of the American Lung Association of North Caroline, along with other representatives of the NC Health Action Council were visited by six delegates from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The delegates were in the middle of a tour of the U.S. during which they hoped to learn how grassroots groups and associations affect policy change. The delegation also met with the NC Department of Agriculture and with tobacco growers' groups in Raleigh, NC. Among other things, the delegation expressed interest in what plans various organizations have for international tobacco control partnerships. Health Action Council representatives were stunned to learn that “there are more smokers in China than there are people in the U.S." and noted that "one [Chinese] delegate commented that tobacco industry reps raised eyebrows when told there is no tobacco control infrastructure in China. The delegates expressed concern that their fellow countrymen would be targeted by the industry without concern for the wellbeing of China." For more info see
http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/update/nchealthaction.html

[Note: China just became a member of the World Trade Organization, a key step in opening up the state-run tobacco market to predatory transnational tobacco corporations]

c) GPTC groups take part in FCTC negotiations

The following GPTC members attended the FCTC negotiations in Geneva (November 2001):

Saiffudin Ahmed & Debra Efroymson(Bangladesh), Issi Alphonse (Cameroon), Carmen Barco, Shane Bradbrook (New Zealand), Cynthia Callard & Neil Collishaw (Canada), Mahamane Cisse (Mali), Elif Dagli (Turkey), Laurent Huber, Jenny Foreit, & Judy Wilkenfeld (USA), Choi Jin Sook (Korea), John Kapito (Malawi), Philip Karugaba (Uganda), Konstantin Krasovsky (Ukraine), Ehsan Latif (Pakistan), Fred Odhiambo (Kenya), Shahnaz Shahrokhy (Iran), Daravuth Yel (Cambodia)

Thanks to all of you who sent in submissions to the Framework Convention Alliance bulletins. Due to the volume of submissions, the editor was not able to include them all, but will save them for future issues. To view the bulletins go to: http://www.fctc.org/newsletterINB3.shtml

Essential Action and several international GPTC participants are members of the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT), which bestowed "Marlboro Man" Awards in Geneva to expose and challenge countries for espousing treaty positions that benefit the tobacco industry at the expense of public health in Geneva. Shame on the U.S., Costa Rica, Tunisia, the Dominican Republic, and Japan, which were all recipients of the award! For more information see http://www.infact.org

For those of you celebrating during this holiday season -

EID MUBARAK! HAPPY HANUKAH! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
HAPPY KWANZAA! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Essential Action
Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control
P.O. Box 19405 ~ Washington, DC 20036
Tel: +1 202-387-8030 ~ Fax: +1 202-234-5176
Email: tobacco@essential.org
http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco