Australia provides extrabudgetary contribution for WHO FCTC needs assessments in Pacific island countries

All 14 Pacific island countries that are Member States of WHO (World Health Organisation) are also Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).  Australia’s contribution of AUD 77,000, together with AUD 23,000 offered jointly by the Cancer Council Australia and the National Heart Foundation of Australia, will be used by the Convention Secretariat to undertake joint needs assessments to identify WHO FCTC implementation gaps, needs and opportunities.

News of the contribution was welcomed by senior public health officials in the Pacific, the Convention Secretariat, WHO and key non-governmental partners at a high-level regional tobacco control workshop hosted by Australia in Sydney on 31 March 2011. Officials in Sydney spoke of the urgency of addressing the non-communicable disease crisis in the region, in which tobacco use plays a major part. “Non-communicable diseases are responsible for approximately 75% of deaths annually in Pacific island countries,” said Dr Teatao Tira, Director of Public Health in Kiribati. “Too little has been done to address this crisis, but it is not too late.”

The Sydney meeting identified full and effective on-the-ground implementation of the WHO FCTC as a regional priority, noting that it will be important, when requested by Parties, for the Convention Secretariat and other relevant partners to assist in conducting joint needs assessments to accelerate implementation of the Convention and overcome current barriers to full implementation.

Source: WHO FCTC - http://www.who.int/fctc/australia2011/en/index.html