Environmental protestors in Panama are complaining about the decision to keep a copper mine operating in the middle of a jungle. It is said that this has caused a loss to businesses of £65 million a day, 15,000 cancelled medical appointments, and a 62-yr-old American man shot dead two protesting teachers.
The last Conference drew a few awards from harm reduction advocates.
Good COP Awards:
- The ‘Wow, Someone’s Actually Telling Us What’s Going On’ Award went to COPWATCH for getting on the inside and giving the world real-time insights online
- The ‘Give The Man A Cigar’ Award went to Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary, Teodoro Locsin Jr, for standing up to COP9 delegates
- The ‘I am the Evidence’ Award went to passionate US consumer advocate and sCOPe panellist, Liana Hudspeth
Bad COP awards:
- The ‘You Shouldn’t Really Say That About Yourself’ Award goes to FCTC Head, Dr Adriana Blanco Marquizo, for her very bizarre ‘How industry weaponizes science’ Tweet: https://twitter.com/BlancoMarquizo/status/1459819999653244928
- The ‘Our Proposal Won’t Do A Thing But Delegates Loved It’ Award went to Iran, whose government holds a sizable stake in its domestic tobacco industry
- The ‘Where The Hell Is Wally’ Award went to WHO sponsor, anti-vape crusader, and American billionaire Michael Bloomberg for trading in COP9 and flying to Glasgow’s glitzy, high-profile COP26
In the lead up to this year’s event, advocacy group CAPHRA sent an open letter to the United Nations. We also covered the news that a GSTHR Briefing had been produced detailing what to expect in Panama.
This won’t happen until next year as the WHO has announced: “The Tenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and the Third session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP3) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products postponed to 2024.
“Following communication received from Panama, the host country of the Tenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and the Third session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP3) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (Protocol), it is no longer possible to conduct COP10 and MOP3 in November 2023, as scheduled.
“The sessions are expected to be held in Panama, as early as possible in 2024, at dates to be confirmed.
“The postponement of COP10 and MOP3 is due to the current security situation in Panama.
“The Convention Secretariat will communicate further details in relation to COP10 and MOP3, as soon as available.
“The Convention Secretariat continues to support the Parties to the WHO FCTC and the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products with implementing their obligations under the treaties and to protect their present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.”
