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For more information,
please contact:

Harley Stanton
Health Promotion Adviser for Tobacco and Alcohol
Tel.: +687 26.01.67
Fax: +687 26.38.18

Secretariat of the Pacific Community
BP D5, 98848 Noumea Cedex
New Caledonia

© Copyright SPC

 

About Tobacco and Alcohol Section

Tobacco and alcohol use have serious social, economic and health consequences for Pacific Island Countries (PICs). They are a burden on public health systems and business, a drain on public funds, and they undermine the health of citizens and their capacity to lead fulfilling and productive lives.

Objectives of the Section

In line with the broader objectives of the Public Health Programme, the Tobacco and Alcohol Section has the following objectives:

 to assist countries implement the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) through provision of technical advice;
to commence development of a regional plan of action for alcohol, with specific action points for countries to follow in developing their own national plans;
 to provide technical assistance to countries in the development of national policies and legislation in the areas of tobacco and alcohol.

Tobacco

Alcohol

In September 1985 a joint conference on alcohol related problems in Pacific Island Countries, hosted by SPC and the World Health Organization (WHO) for governmental and non-governmental organisations recommended that governments and agencies:

 document the social, health and economic harm done by alcohol;
undertake annual reviews of legislation on alcohol;
establish and enforce effective regulation;
legislate to reduce the harm done by alcohol;
focus particularly on alcohol-related violence, and
guarantee at least one per cent of the funds out of the revenue of the sales of alcohol to fund plans and actions to prevent and reduce the harm done by alcohol.

Pacific Island governments have expressed their commitment to tobacco control by becoming signatories to, and in some cases ratifying, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). They have also recently affirmed their commitment to regional cooperation in alcohol control policy at a meeting on alcohol and health in September 2004.

Non-discriminatory regulation

Free trade arrangements can lead to increased tobacco and alcohol consumption. When markets open up, domestic and international manufacturers gain a powerful incentive to increase supply to those markets. Elimination of import tariffs and other import restrictions results in lower product prices and increased competition among brands.

Under the terms of most free trade agreements, including PICTA, governments can still regulate industries in ways that do not prejudice imported products. Non-discriminatory regulation can be employed to try to counter any negative effects, such as rises in consumption, that liberalisation of trade in tobacco and alcohol may have.

Examples of regulatory responses to trade liberalisation include:

bans on advertising,
stricter licensing and regulation of tobacco and alcohol sales, and
the imposition of excise duties to control the price of tobacco and alcohol.