8 July 2019

Please refrain from attending events that falsely promote smoking cessation,
which are managed by the tobacco industry.
The clever tobacco promotion event called “The smoke free index dialogue Tokyo”(scheduled to be held on 30 July at the Hilton Tokyo)

Dr. Manabu Sakuta, Chairperson, Japan Society for Tobacco Control, General incorporated

Forgive me for omitting a formal introduction, but I directly inform you of the following:
The upcoming event called Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW)1 and the smoke freeindex dialogue (at the same event) is scheduled for 30 July in Tokyo.
At first glance, FSFW appears to be a group to promote social welfare and public health, but
it actually promotes the interests of the domestic tobacco industry.
As a clever tobacco company that has tried to retain its business in nicotine products, Philip
Morris Company (PM) will manage the event. PM is considered to be organization thatoperates against public health, and the World Health Organization (WHO) also does notsupport its operations.2
In fact, this event was scheduled to be implemented globally, but before being held in Turkeyand Thailand, strong protests occurred, so that the event has been canceled (cited in GGTC
open response: noted below).
The Japan Society for Tobacco Control Studies opposes holding this event in Tokyo. This isalso consistent with the objectives of the World Health Organization (WHO).
To everyone, we ask that you please refrain from attending this event to avoid promoting theuse of tobacco. We would like to ask you to cooperate to create a society without the healthhazards caused by tobacco.
Sincerely yours
1. The “false” public health organization, which is managed by the tobacco industry:
Foundation for a Smoke-Free World. https://www.smokefreeworld.org
2. World Health Organization (WHO) statement "WHO does not cooperate with the SmokeFree World managed by PM"
WHO statement on Philip Morris funded Foundation for a Smoke-Free World
28 September 2017https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/28-09-2017-who-statement-on-philip-morris-fundedfoundation-for-a-smoke-free-world

We fully agree with this statement. Manabu Sakuta
WHO
Tobacco Free Initiative

July 5th, 2019

Dear colleagues,
On 30 July 2019, the think tank SustainAbility is organizing an event in Tokyo,
funded by the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW) in the Hilton Tokyo(https://eu.eventscloud.com/ehome/200189962/Tokyo/). As you know, theFSFW was created by the tobacco industry and receives 100% of its funding fromPhilip Morris. The event information invites public health stakeholders toparticipate, and says that the purpose of the meeting to inform the developmentof its "Smoke-free Index" which would highlight what they call “less harmfulproducts” and initiate “smoke-free dialogue”. This is part of a series of events
that FSFW/industry has planned this year in major cities around the world. Publichealth communities in many of those countries have taken a strong stanceagainst these events, and have refused to participate in them due to theorganisers’ link with the tobacco industry.
For instance, most recently, the event planned in Bangkok was cancelled after
local tobacco control advocates campaigned against the event. Global Center for
Good Governance in Tobacco Control in Thailand (WHOFCTC Knowledge Hubon Article 5.3) issued a statement summarizing why public health andgovernment representatives should reject and denounce this event:•••

FSFW is funded by Philip Morris International. PMI is aggressively
marketing a heated tobacco products (iQOS) which they claim tosupport “smoke-free world” and their independence from thebusiness interest of PMI is doubtful.
WHO and many of the public health organizations and academia allover the world have rejected engagement with FSFW as its history offunding research to advance its own vested interests which are alsoof the tobacco industry.
The development sector must not accommodate tobacco industry
interests as it is known that tobacco hinders sustainable
development goals in education, poverty, labor, gender, partnerships,
environment, among others.

Their full statement is available
at: https://ggtc.world/2019/07/01/tobacco-industrys-smoke-freedialogue-global-center-for-good-governance-in-tobacco-control/
The smoking ban in public places is now in place after the national law
and the Tokyo ordinance came into force this year, and public healthcommunities in Japan are making enormous efforts towards a smokefree Olympic games in 2020. These gains may be undermined by theplanned FSFW/industry event in Tokyo.
In this regard, Tobacco Free Initiative at WHO Regional Office for theWestern Pacific would like to take this opportunity to urge ourcolleagues in Japan not to participate in this event or engage with FSFW
and the tobacco industry, and to share the message around yourcommunity to inform everyone of the true nature of this event. Please
help us to protect the health of Japanese people.
Tobacco Free Initiative, WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacificc/o School of Global Studies, Thammasat University, Academic Service Building 33
Rangsit, Pathumthani, Thailand 12121 +6680 624-6656 | ggtc@ggtc.world | ggtc.world

1 July, 2019

Public Statement in relation to the invitation to attend tobacco
industry-backed ‘Smoke Free Dialogue'
GGTC received invitations for two officers to attend the Smoke Free Dialogue, an event organized by
SustainAbility, which is funded by the Foundation for a Smoke Free World (FSFW), on July 25 in
Bangkok, Thailand. It came to our knowledge that many colleagues from the global public healthcommunity and the health ministries have received a similar invitation.
We take this opportunity to make it known why GGTC will not engage in this “dialogue,” in light of thefact that this is initiated by and involves the work of the Philip Morris funded Foundation for a Smoke
Free World (FSFW):
1. The sponsor/ initiator, Foundation for Smoke Free World, is backed by theTobacco Industry
FSFW is an entity entirely funded by a tobacco multinational company, Philip MorrisInternational (PMI), i which is also aggressively marketing a heated tobacco product called
IQOS to show its “commitment to the “smoke free world.” Analysts have challenged in detail
FSFW’s claim relating to its independence, going into the nature of its operations and its
agreement with PMI.ii Recent analysisiii of its tax reports show that most of its actions aregeared towards public relations than on science.
2. WHO and member states have denounced FSFW and urged public healthcommunity and governments not to engage with it
Early this year, the WHO reiterated its 2017 statement urging all Parties to the Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), organizations, and individuals not to partner withFSFW because of its sponsor’s “known history of funding research to advance its own vestedinterest.iv” v vi At the WHO Executive Board, the FSFW’s attempts to engage with WHO was
faced with scathing remarks from member states. It became clear then that FSFW is classified
as “those representing tobacco industry interests” that the WHO, by policy, does not engage
or partner with. Public health organizations all over the world have also rejected the attemptsof the FSFW to engage in public health issues. Prestigious schools and research organizations
have also opposed funding from FSFW.
3. The development sector has a duty to comply with moral and legal duties toprotect against tobacco industry interests
Tobacco control is now a key component of sustainable development while the tobacco
industry’s practices of marketing and manufacturing its products and obstructing evidencebased life-saving measures have become identified as significant impediments to sustainable
development. According to a UNDP reportvii, tobacco hinders progress in sustainable
development goals in education, poverty, labor, gender, partnerships, environment, amongothers.

The tobacco industry and those promoting its interests have been identified as being
responsible for the key barrier to tobacco control treaty implementation. The treaty obliges
over 180 members to protect public health policies against the commercial and vested
interests of the tobacco industry (Art 5.3). The Guidelines provide that public officials must
not meet with the tobacco industry and those furthering its interests, unless it is strictly
necessary for regulation. Hence, those working in the public health or development sectorhave:
1. a moral duty to help protect health policies from tobacco industry interests and2. a legal duty to ensure that governments do not violate its duty to protect its policies
against the commercial and vested interests of the tobacco industry.
Therefore, we reject and denounce this event and we strongly urge the public healthcommunity and government representatives do the same. Tobacco control has limited
resources. If we do nothing to expose this tactic, the tobacco industry would succeed indistracting us with seemingly innocuous programs which vow change despite lack ofindependence and sheer conflict of interest. In other words, the tobacco industry wouldsucceed in using its vast resources to further limit our capacity to do legitimate tobacco
control work.
We also urge those who have received funding from the FSFW to reject and denounce suchfunding in order to be consistent with their moral and legal duties to promote public interestsand protect governments from tobacco industry interests.
Eight million lives and more will continue to be taken by the tobacco industry annually, and awhole new young generation are foreseen to be addicted to its new products; let no one,
especially those the tobacco industry funds, tell you otherwise.
END
In September 2017, PMI pledged a $1 billion grant to FSFW, an organization that will provide grants for “medical, agricultural,and scientific research to end smoking and its health effects and to address the impact of reduced worldwide demand fortobacco.” FSFW’s patron, PMI, is one of the biggest transnational tobacco companies manufacturing and selling the world
famous Marlboro brand and is currently introducing into the market ENDS, including e-cigarettes and IQOS (heat not burn)product. FSFW’s research grants will include research into the new products of PMI. Despite swimming in tobacco money,
FSFW describes itself as “an independent, private foundation formed and operated free from the control or influence of any
third party.” Furthermore, FSFW has been reported to be working with public relations firms and law firms linked to the tobaccoindustry.
iMcCabe Center for Law and Cancer (2018). The new Philip Morris-funded Foundation for a Smoke-Free World:
independent or not? Retrieved fromhttps://web.archive.org/web/20180301174248/http://untobaccocontrol.org/kh/legal- challenges/new-philip-morrisfunded-foundation-smoke-free-world-independent-not/ (accessed on 25 January 2019).
iii The Lancet published an article that analyzes on PMI-funded FSFW's tax submissions. Evidence shows that most of theFSFW funding has gone more into public relations than into scientific researches. Stopping Tobacco Organizations andProducts (STOP) prepared an industry activity brief which analyses the Foundation's 2018 tax return.
ii“This decades-long history means that research and advocacy funded by tobacco companies and their front groups
cannot be accepted at face value. When it comes to the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, there are a 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. WHO will not partner with the Foundation.
Governments should not partner with the Foundation and the public health community should follow this lead.”6iv

Excerpt of WHO statement: “When it comes to the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, there are a number of clear
conflicts of interest involved with a tobacco company funding a purported health foundation, particularly if it promotes saleof tobacco and other products found in that company’s brand portfolio. WHO will not partner with the Foundation.
Governments should not partner with the Foundation and the public health community should follow this lead.”v

The FCTC Secretariat regards FSFW as “a clear attempt to breach the WHO FCTC by interfering in public policy...aimed atdamaging the treaty’s implementation, particularly through the Foundation’s contentious research programmes.”vii Excerpt from a statement released by the United Nations: “According to a report by WHO and the UN Development
Programme (UNDP), it is estimated that up to one billion people could die from tobacco-related diseases this century.
Currently, over seven million people die every year due to tobacco use. In addition, tobacco costs the global economy over atrillion dollars annually in medical expenses and lost productivity. As for the environmental impacts –deforestation and soil
degradation for tobacco cultures, as well as water and soil pollution from cigarette littering – they cannot be overstated.”vi

Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC) aims to address the single greatest obstacle totobacco control, tobacco industry interference. It is a joint initiative of the School of Global Studies, Thammasat
University and Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) and has been designated as the WHO
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Secretariat as the Knowledge Hub on Article 5.3, (treaty provision oncountering tobacco industry interference). GGTC is also a key partner of the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Stopping
Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP).

1.