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17 November 2008

Programme director
Mayor of Ethekwini Metro Mr Obed Mlaba
President of the COP3 Dr Chitanondh Hatai
Head of the WHO Convention Secretariat Dr Haik Nikogosian
Honourable Ministers of Health
Representative of the WHO Regional Director, Dr Tshidi Moeti
WHO Representative in South Africa, Dr Stella Anyangwe
Heads of delegations
Officials from the Ministries of Health
Members of the civil society
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

It is indeed a great honour and privilege for me to be here today as part of this like minded collective of men and women united by its quest to save humanity from the ravaging effects of one of the world's most popular and yet most dangerous product.

The use of tobacco products kills millions of people world wide. Large amounts of money are spent on this product even by those living in extreme poverty, with little or no income, to feed the habit brought about by nicotine addiction. The health systems of governments world wide find themselves under increasing pressure to cater for patients who have fallen victim to tobacco related diseases such as cancers and other associated diseases. The responsibility lies on us to protect the present and future generations from this legal yet harmful and deadly product. We have to act! It is for this reason that it gives me great satisfaction to welcome all of you to this important gathering whose sole purpose is to find solutions to this global public health challenge confronting us.

Governments alone cannot win in tackling this challenge. We need the support and involvement of many other agencies of civil society such as the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to assist. According to the WHO World Health Statistics Report (2008) tobacco use is the single largest cause of preventable deaths in the world today.

A third to a half of the users of tobacco products become victims of this product. On average, every user of tobacco loses 15 years of living. Total tobacco-attributable deaths from ischaemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular disease (stroke), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other diseases are, in terms of the WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic (2008) projected to rise from 5,4 million in 2004 to 8,3 million in 2020, almost 10 percent of deaths worldwide.

The crucial cold sad fact crucial to note is that more than 80 percent of these deaths will occur in developing countries. It is for this reason therefore that one should pause and pay special tribute to the WHO framework convention on tobacco control for the stewardship in the fight against tobacco use. We are grateful for your continued support, guidance and dedication, it is a huge task.
I have no doubt that at the end of the session the 600 delegates present here representing 150 countries will leave Durban with a clear road map on how we plan to strengthen our fight against tobacco and its impact on public health.
On a country level, I am proud to inform this conference that we are continuing to make very significant progress in our fight against the use of tobacco in our country.

The principal legislation controlling tobacco products in the country was first passed in 1993 known as the Tobacco Products Control Act. As most in this room would know, every time legislation regarding tobacco control is passed, industry always scrutinise it with a view to finding any loopholes to exploit.
I have no doubt that this is the strategy world over; given the unlimited resources the industry has, allowing it to afford the best legal minds in the world. On our part, we always try to keep up with these developments, hence our on-going commitment to amend the legislation, ensuring that we close whatever loopholes are there for the industry to exploit.

As government, we cannot claim to have reached where we are purely on the basis of our own strength. I wish to pay special tribute to the many civil society organisations and individuals that have relentlessly supported our fight against tobacco use, through lobbying and advocacy amongst others.

Just as important, I wish to acknowledge the continued support of our legislators both in the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces for supporting us in our quest to promote and protect public health interests. Just four days ago, through our Deputy Minister Dr Molefi Sefularo we led the debate in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on amendments to our legislation to bring it in line with the provisions of the framework convention.

I am glad to announce that the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill 2008 was passed and soon we are expecting it to be signed into law! This Bill as a legislative instrument will further enable us to control the advertising, promotion, sale, packaging and use of tobacco products in the country.

One of the key provisions of this Bill once signed into law will be the use of pictorial warnings on tobacco packets, something which is already being practiced in other parts of the world. As a developing country illiteracy is still one of the many challenges confronting us and we are confident that the use of pictorial warnings will assist those who cannot read to understand the dangers of tobacco use and thus be able to make correct decisions.

Programme director, as we do this work on tobacco control at a country level, we are also mindful of the challenges that still prevail at the regional (WHO AFRO) level. This we say from the point of view of mutual co-existence and the importance of working as one in addressing common challenges.

During the negotiation process of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, all 46 member states of World Health Organisation (WHO) African Regional Office (AFRO)were united on issues of tobacco control, a position that enabled our region to speak with one voice and influence the shaping of some of the articles in the convention. I remain convinced and confident that this spirit of solidarity will continue to prevail as we move ahead with the implementation of the treaty. It is however still worrying many of us that there are still countries in the Region that are yet to become members of the Parties to the Convention based on their own socio-economic dynamics such as the dependency of their economies on tobacco farming and trade.

As we deliberate on the issue of Alternatives to tobacco growing (which forms part of Article 17 and 18 of the Convention) let us do so mindful of these economic realities in the Region and elsewhere in the world. I am however optimistic that collectively, we will be able to come up with innovative solutions to this challenge of dependency on tobacco farming and trade. As we engage in lobbying, let us also look at how the structures of government can support alternative agricultural initiatives so that farming in tobacco does not continue to be the mainstay of our economies and livelihoods.

In conclusion, I wish to thank the WHO Convention Secretariat for giving us the opportunity to co-host this important session whose sole purpose is to promote and protect public health. Head of the Secretariat, kindly convey to the Director-General of the WHO our appreciation for having been made co-hosts of this session.

On behalf of the Department of Health and government of the Republic of South Africa I remain confident that this session will take us a step closer in our quest to protect and promote public health. In less than 18 months the world will be coming to our shores to experience the FIFA 2010 soccer world. We are looking forward to this global tournament with enthusiasm. We hope that this event will encourage our children to appreciate the value of sports and healthy life-styles and not use tobacco products. Sports and tobacco just do not mix!

In conclusion, I wish to take this opportunity to welcome all of you to our country. The government and the people of South Africa are proud of your presence in our country. We appreciate your stay in our country. We are supportive of the work that you do in promoting and protecting public health. Our health interests are the same as those of other in various parts of the world. We salute your efforts and labour in promoting public health. Please enjoy the diversity of our cultures here in South Africa. Our people extend their warmth and hospitality to you here.

We wish you well in your deliberations and we look forward with enthusiasm to the outcomes of this important conference. Programme director; allow me to extend my good wishes to all the delegates at the third Conference of Parties well in its deliberations. Just like its predecessors, this gathering should carry particular memories for all of us as far as public health is concerned.
Let's use this occasion as a platform to create awareness around the dangers of tobacco and its use.

Thank you very much.

Issued by: Department of Health
17 November 2008
Source: Department of Health (http://www.doh.gov.za/)