UK Vape Association to Advise Government Delegation Ahead of WHO COP9

Source from:  Vapingpost 03/12/2021

Sadly, amongst tobacco harm reduction experts, the WHO has become renowned for becoming aggressively anti-vaping, despite all the scientific data available in favour of e-cigarette use for tobacco harm reduction. CAPHRA Executive Coordinator and AVCA (Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy) director Nancy Loucas, has previously highlighted that the health agency’s position against e-cigarettes has been influenced and compromised by vested interests that provide funds to the organisation, as in this case.

“This vested interest has coloured the information in order to serve the political and financial interests of Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Gates Foundation who provide nearly half of all the funding for the WHO-FCTC. The WHO is lying to you to protect their own financial interests and keep their private donors happy. They are not objective. They are not focused on their own mandate under FCTC to promote the health of the people and their right to have information to make informed choices regarding their health,” said Loucas.

To this effect, the APPG for Vaping, a collection of MPs and Peers who’s aim is “to explore the most appropriate parliamentary and regulatory response to e-cigarettes and to raise education and literacy amongst policy makers regarding e-cigarettes and related public policy questions,” have invited Dunne as an expert witness, to advice the UK delegation attending the summit.

The WHO COP9 has negative repercussions on the vaping industry

As in previous years, sadly the WHO COP9 is expected to have repercussions for vaping industries around the world, and for members of the public who would like to use the products in a bid to quit smoking. Hence, the APPG hopes that the UK’s progressive approach may inspire other nations to adopt similar strategies.

“The UK has a huge duty of care to take a positive stance and challenge interpretations… Britain’s newly independent status really gives us an opportunity to lead this on the world stage,” said Dunne during the evidence meeting, which was also attended by Professor Gerry Stimson of Knowledge-Action-Change (KAC), Clive Bates of Counterfactual, and Daniel Pryor of the Adam Smith Institute.