Fiji: WHO And OCO Sign To Tackle Illicit Tobacco Trade Problem

Source from:  Fiji Sun Online 03/30/2017

Increase in taxes on tobacco products has led to a demand for illicit tobacco.

This was highlighted by the head of the Oceania Customs Organisation Secretariat (OCO) secretariat Seve Paeniu at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the World Health Organisation (WHO) office in Suva, yesterday.

The MoU was signed between the OCO and WHO to work together in sharing information and ideas relevant to preventing and eliminating illicit tobacco trade.

Mr Paeniu said: "Demand for illicit tobacco is high and will continue to increase consistent with increasing taxes that many customs administrations in our region are imposing.

"Organised crime groups are becoming increasingly attracted to tobacco smuggling.

　　"So illicit tobacco trade does not only drain the budgets of our governments and feed into organised crime, but it also severely undermines efforts to protect public health," he said.

　　Mr Paeniu said law enforcement and border security is still an important area of focus for the OCO.

　　"Although members are stepping up efforts to combat illicit activities at different levels, our region, because of our porous borders, remains prone to illegal trade of tobacco by overseas-based smugglers.

　　"Whilst OCO member countries are making progress in combatting illegal trade of tobacco and protecting both public money and public health, there is always more we can do," he said.

　　WHO representative for the South Pacific, Dr Corinne Capuano said: "THE WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which is a global treaty ratified by all the Pacific Islands, came into force in 2005."

　　"The response from the Pacific to implement it was robust and with the adoption of the Tobacco Free Pacific 2015 goal, momentum continues to build.

　　"When talking about the population of the Pacific, we used to say that it is small. However we witnessed that the Pacific is not too small to be affected by illicit trade of tobacco products," she said.Enditem