GENEVA, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- The fourth session of the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products concluded Wednesday with a raft of decisions aimed at strengthening international cooperation and tightening control measures against the illicit tobacco market.
Following three days' discussions in Geneva, representatives of 60 Parties agreed to intensify information-sharing and enhance coordination to curb illicit trade.
Key outcomes of the meeting include a decision tasking the Convention Secretariat, the World Customs Organization, and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime to compile and analyze existing data on seizures of tobacco products to guide future action.
Parties also established two working groups: one to advance evidence-based research and exchange of experiences, and another to identify good practices and prepare a report to strengthen collaboration on investigations and prosecutions. Another decision encourages Parties to improve monitoring and collection of licensing fees.
Independent estimates indicate that the illicit trade accounts for about 11 percent of the global tobacco market and costs governments billions of U.S. dollars in lost tax revenue.
"Illicit trade in tobacco products is not a victimless crime. It robs governments of vital resources, undermines public health, and erodes the foundations of sustainable development. It fuels corruption, money laundering and organized crime. We cannot allow those who profit from illicit trade in tobacco to escape justice," said Andrew Black, acting head of the Secretariat of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
The meeting also announced that Vanuatu has joined the Protocol as the 71st Party.
The Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products is an international treaty under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. ■
