In partnership with Uruguay’s Ministry of Health, The Union delivered an in-depth three-day technical training on tobacco industry interference in public health policymaking for government officials from across Latin America.
The workshop was held in Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital, and was attended by 17 health and foreign affairs officers. Participants came from Colombia, Bolivia, Mexico and Argentina. Uruguay was chosen to host this training because of its recent experience and success overcoming Philip Morris International’s legal challenge to its strong tobacco control policies.
The training was run by tobacco control experts from The Union’s Mexico office in collaboration with Uruguay’s Research Centre for the Tobacco Epidemic. Sessions covered: tobacco addiction from a clinical perspective, tobacco industry tactics to prevent or delay public health policy, how industry interference can be identified and monitored, and how legislation can be used to prevent industry interference.
The Union’s Article 5.3 Toolkit (PDF 5MB) was a key practical resource for the training. The workshop also covered guidelines for government interactions with the tobacco industry and detailed rules for engagement.
Participants developed plans based on current scenarios within their countries and developed strategic plans for dealing with the tobacco industry both now and into the future.
