Over 100 organisations denounce Philip Morris' attempt to "infiltrate WHO policymaking"

Public health experts from over 100 organisations around the world Tuesday urged the World Health Organisation Executive Board (WHO-EB) to reject a Philip Morris International-funded foundation's appeal to the global health body to collaborate on tobacco control policies.

To do so would depart from WHO's strict longstanding policy of not working with the tobacco industry, whose business practices have been proven to be contradictory with and detrimental to public health, they said.

Giving any consideration to an organisation that is entirely funded by the tobacco industry would fundamentally undermine the significant health and policy gains made to date on the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

It would specifically undermine WHO FCTC Article 5.3 which seeks to protect public health policies from the vested interests of the tobacco industry and on which much of the success of the treaty rests, the letter said.

"We therefore call on you to reject this approach, in the strongest terms, and reinforce WHO's 2017 notice to governments and the public health community to reject any affiliation with FSFW because of the 'number of clear conflicts of interest involved with a tobacco company funding a purported health foundation, particularly if it promotes sale of tobacco and other products found in that company's brand portfolio."