Conference of the Parties (COP 7) On FCTC

•  The seventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP7) has begun in Delhi. It is the first occasion that a COP meeting is being held in India.
• COP7 brings together the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)’s parties – which include almost every country in the world, as well as regional economic integration organizations like the European Union.

About WHO FCTC:

• The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is the first international treaty negotiated under the auspices of WHO. It was adopted by the World Health Assembly on 21 May 2003 and entered into force on 27 February 2005. It has since become one of the most rapidly and widely embraced treaties in United Nations history.
• The WHO FCTC was developed in response to the globalization of the tobacco epidemic and is an evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health. The Convention represents a milestone for the promotion of public health and provides new legal dimensions for international health cooperation.
• The Treaty was developed by countries in response to the globalization of the tobacco epidemic.
• There are currently 180 Parties to the Convention.
• India has been the forerunner in ratification of this public health treaty and was the 7th Country to ratify the Convention in 2004.
• India provided a leadership role in the negotiations of FCTC and was also the Regional Coordinator for the South-East Asia Region.

About COP:

• The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the governing body of the WHO FCTC and is comprised of all Parties to the Convention. It keeps under regular review the implementation of the Convention and takes the decisions necessary to promote its effective implementation, and may also adopt protocols, annexes and amendments to the Convention. Observers may also participate in the work of the COP. The work of the COP is governed by its Rules of Procedure. Starting from COP3, the regular sessions of COP are held at two-year intervals.
• The COP may establish such subsidiary bodies as are necessary to achieve the objective of the Convention. One example is the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body on a Protocol on Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. The COP also established several working groups with the mandate to elaborate guidelines and recommendations for the implementation of different treaty provisions.

By: Vishal