Today, an international coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is launching a campaign to call on African governments to ratify the global tobacco treaty, formally known as the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Corporate Accountability International (USA) is working closely with The Environmental Action Network (Uganda), Zambia Consumers Association, Environmental Rights Action (Nigeria), Consumers Information Network (Kenya) and other African members of the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT) to coordinate an Africa Ratification Campaign Tour from September 29th through mid-October.
At each stop on the tour, public health, consumer, environmental, and corporate accountability advocates will urge government officials to swiftly ratify and implement the world’s first public health treaty. The tour takes place just before a summit of African Health Ministers in Botswana. As the international coalition visits Uganda and Zambia, advocates are organizing solidarity actions across the African continent to build momentum behind ratification and implementation of the global tobacco treaty.