Tag Archive for: Health

Foundation for the Development of Sustainable Policy (FUNDEPS) submits Amicus Curiae in tobacco-related cases in Argentina and Colombia

The department of human rights submitted two Amicus Curiae briefs, enabling public participation in court cases, in discussions concerning health protection and tobacco control. FUNDEPS seeks to promote legal frameworks and protect the human right to health.

Argentina

In the case of “Inter-American Heart Foundation – Argentina versus the Government of the City of Buenos Aires under the Amparo Action of Protection”, FUNDEPS constituted as a “friend of the Court” in the appeal case presented before Room I of the Appeals Chamber in the Civil and Commercial Court of the City of Buenos Aires.Through Amparo, CIF Argentina, a Non-Profit Organisation working in public politics concerning chronic non-communicable diseases, demanded that the Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires take direct measures to effectively comply with provisions by the Law of Tobacco Control in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.

In the first instance, Judge Lidia E. Lago rejected the appeal, arguing that the Amparo Action of Protection was intended only for those cases in which constitutional rights are violated in a clearly arbitrary or unlawful manner. The judge accepts that, in this case this requirement was not fulfilled; therefore the Amparo procedure was not relevant, despite non-compliance of regulations causing direct damage to the human right to health of Buenos Aires citizens.

Before the adverse ruling, FIC Argentina appealed the adjudication and FUNDEPS appeared as a “friend of the Court”, supporting the arguments of the appellant. In this manner, FUNDEPS warned against the use of tobacco products and the industry’s focus on young people. Reference was also made to the content and scope of the right to health, the collective face of the right to health, the operating of direct damage prevention within the Argentinean legal system and the role of the judiciary in defending, promoting and protecting human rights.This case still remains unresolved to this day. We at FUNDEPS are hoping for a favourable ruling under this framework and that the right to health be protected, urging the Government of the City of Buenos Aires to respect Human Rights Covenants, the National Constitution, the autonomous city of Buenos Aires Statute and the local legal framework.

Colombia

In Colombia there was a request for nullification of two circulars of the Colombian Superintendency of Industry and Commerce (SIC), which regulates the display of tobacco products. The main argument is that articles 14, 15 and 16 of the 2009 Colombian law 1335 impose a general prohibition on the publicity and promotion of tobacco. The display of tobacco products (regulated by the circulars) is a form of this promotion, for which it should be banned. Adding to this domestic regulation, on 9th July 2008 the WHO framework agreement on tobacco control was enforced, incorporating the possibility of international responsibility of Colombia.

Alongside FIC Argentina, FUNDEPS submitted an amicus curiae brief with the objective of supporting this request to nullify the circular letters of the Superintendence of Trade of Colombia, emphasising how the display of tobacco products is used throughout the entire region as a clear form of marketing. References to the impact of these techniques on health are also incorporated within the analysis, particularly concerning the level of initial consumption in children and adolescents as well as the impediment of cessation in adult smokers.The document carried out a study of the international legal framework which implements the highest standards of the right to health and in particular those documents that specifically categorise the display of products as a form of publicity. In the same way, arguments frequently used by the tobacco industry were presented and answered; arguments with the objective of opposing those measures which tend to restrict these market techniques and aim to guarantee better protection of the right to health. Finally, scientific evidence was enclosed, with respect to positive impacts of this policy type.

At FUNDEPS we celebrate the collaborative efforts of civil society organisations, which seek to ensure adequate health protection, in particular against the tobacco epidemic. In this regard, we trust that the circular letters will be declared void by the Council of State and that it serves as a background record so that the region advances in legal frameworks that duly protect the human right to health.

More information:

– Amicus Curiae brief submitted in Argentina

– Amicus Curiae brief submitted in Colombia

Contact:

Juan Miguel Litvachkes
juanlitvachkes@fundeps.org

Gianella Severini
gianeseverini@fundeps.org

Translated by: Samantha Pearton

FUNDEPS participates in the first Latin American Meeting for the Right to Immunisation

As part of the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, FUNDEPS represented Argentina at the first Latin American Meeting for the Right to Immunisation, which took place during 20-21 November 2014 in Lima, Peru.

The meeting, which was called by the America’s Health Foundation along with the non-profit organisation Voces Ciudadanas, included the participation of many representatives from children’s and adolescent organisations, representatives from networks of civil society organisations, as well as the presence of relevant government health authorities from some countries in the region. The core focus over the two days was the debate on how to promote the right to immunisations, recognising them as a human right and a public commodity. It was established that vaccinations are an enforceable right in all countries of the region, to be provided in full and for free as a routine part of the annual allocation of resources, rather than solely provided as a medical service. Education, information, prevention, awareness, participation, training, co-ordination, co-operation, investment, supervision and investigation are all concepts which were discussed, defined and identified as fundamental when dealing with health policies, and in particular, with vaccinations.

The conference was concluded with the signing of the Lima Declaration for the Right to Immunisation, a document which summarised everything discussed by the various participants, and established agreed guidelines which should be considered by all of the American states, in order to guarantee universally available vaccines for children and adolescents, addressing first the inequality, disparity and discrimination present in the different countries of the region.

As part of our work on the human right to health in general, we at FUNDEPS will continue to monitor the right to immunisation as a subcategory of this human right.

Contact:

Agustín Filippi
agustinfilippi@fundeps.org

Translated by: Siobhan Wood

FUNDEPS participated in the Presentation of the Special Health Issue of Revista En Letra

The presentation of this special issue dedicated to the human right to health, which was supported by FUNDEPS, took place at the Buenos Aires Law School.

Last Tuesday, Juan Miguel Litvachkes, member of the Human Rights Division of FUNDEPS, was involved in the presentation of the special heath issue of Revista En Letra, which was held in the Blue Hall of the Buenos Aires Law School. In this special issue, FUNDEPS team members contributed two articles: Carolina Tamagnini (member of the Human Rights Division) and Virginia Pedraza (coordinator of the Human Rights Division) respectively authored “Reflections on the Initiative for a Framework Convention on Global Health” and “Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights from a Human Rights Perspective” (the latter was co-authored by Ignacio Pedraza). Juan Miguel Litvachkes also served as general coordinator of the issue and conducted two interviews: he interviewed Oscar Cabrera, Executive Director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health, and Veronica Schoj, Executive Director of the Inter-American Heart Foundation.

At the presentation event, Juan Miguel Litvachkes of FUNDEPS participated in the panel, along with Alejandro Ezequiel Coto, Director of Revista En Letra; Jonathan Brodsky, Deputy Director of Revista En Letra; Luciana Scotti, Professor at the University of Buenos Aires; and Marisa Aizenberg, Director of the Expert Committee on the Human Right to Health at the Buenos Aires Law School.

Revista En Letra is an emerging forum dedicated to the law and built upon the principals of independence, diversity, critical thinking, and academic excellence. It aims to stimulate the production of future generations of legal activists who will contribute to the development of a democratic culture rooted in informed public debate.

FUNDEPS contributed to this special health issue by working with the project coordinators. A space was also offered to allow the staff of FUNDEPS to contribute some of its experience on human right to health topics. “Reflections on the Initiative for a Framework Convention on Global Health,” by Carolina Tamagnini, described the topics on the agenda of academic sectors and civil society organizations dedicated to health law, and analyzed the possibilities and limitations of a framework convention. Virginia and Ignacio Pedraza approached sexual and reproductive health rights from a human rights perspective, examining the relationships and hierarchies of the rights at stake from a perspective linked to public policy. FUNDEPS invites you to download the Human Right to Health Issue (click here), and to reflect on the human right to health in Argentina and Latin America which, in the words of Dr. Aizenberg, is a continuously advancing road to a new paradigm for the service of an ideal: a more just society with better laws.

More information:

Contact:

Juan Miguel Litvachkes
juanlitvachkes@fundeps.org

Translated by: Heather Walker

Extraordinary agreement reached between the Ministry of Health of Mendoza and major cigarette manufacturers Nobleza Picardo and Massalin Particulares

On 15 October 2014, the Health Minister of the province of Mendoza announced a campaign launched in collaboration with major tobacco transnationals Massalin Particulares and Nobleza Piccardo.

Nobleza Picardo, Massalin Particulares y la provincia de Mendoza, a través de su Ministro de Salud, el Sr. Matías Roby, firmaron un acuerdo para la puesta en marcha de una campaña para prevenir la venta de cigarrillos a menores de edad.

La Fundación para el Desarrollo de Políticas Sustentables (FUNDEPS) se suma a las diversas organizaciones de la sociedad civil que han denunciado que el acuerdo suscripto deja en evidencia la existencia de otros objetivos detrás de la supuesta intención de prevenir el consumo de tabaco en jóvenes. La Fundación Interamericana del Corazón (FIC) ha señalado que la verdadera razón del acuerdo es evitar el aumento del impuesto al cigarrillo.

Por su parte, el Ministro de Salud de Mendoza, Matías Roby, ha expresado que esta campaña encuentra su base en que los kiosqueros y los padres son los responsables indirectamente de incentivar a los menores de 18 años al consumo de tabaco. Lamentamos los dichos del Ministro y le recordamos que numerosos estudios científicos demuestran sin lugar a hesitaciones que los menores ingresan al tabaquismo no por sus padres o los kiosqueros, sino por las campañas publicitarias dirigidas a menores de edad confeccionadas por las tabacaleras. En esta línea, son también las tabacaleras que con su poderío económico buscan aliarse con gobiernos para interferir en cualquier tipo de medida que pueda perjudicar las ventas de cigarrillos.

Estas estrategias han sido utilizadas desde los años ’80 aseguran los investigadores Anne Landman, Pamela M. Ling y Stanton A. Glantz quienes describen que la industria comenzó con este tipo de programas en los Estados Unidos en la década del ’80 para prevenir legislación que restringiría actividades de la misma industria tabacalera. Los programas de la industria muestran que el consumo de tabaco para los adultos es una elección, pero omite aclarar como la publicidad de tabaco promueve su consumo, omitiendo también los riesgos que ésta tiene para la salud. La industria ha utilizado estos programas para combatir aumento de impuestos, leyes de ambientes libres de humo y las restricciones de publicidad en el mundo entero. Por último indican los autores que no hay evidencia de que estos programas hagan decrecer el consumo de tabaco entre los jóvenes. Esto lleva a una sola conclusión: los programas llevados adelante por la industria tabacalera para prevenir el consumo entre jóvenes solo han producido más daño a los fines del control en el consumo de tabaco. En sus recomendaciones finales, los estudiosos sugieren que la industria tabacalera debería tener prohibido llevar acabo directa o indirectamente (a través del patrocinio) programas que apunten a la prevención del consumo de tabaco en los jóvenes1.

Es oportuno recordar que el tabaquismo es una adicción que, en Argentina, afecta a casi 9.000.000 de personas y produce más de 40.000 muertes por año. Veronica Schoj, Directora Ejecutiva de FIC Argentina aseguró “Si las autoridades de Mendoza quisieran reducir significativamente el consumo de tabaco, en lugar de establecer acuerdos con la industria tabacalera deberían hacer cumplir la ley vigente en la provincia y avanzar con políticas de probada eficacia, como las medidas fiscales – que reducen la asequibilidad de los cigarrillos- y la prohibición completa de la publicidad de tabaco, incluida la exhibición de los productos en los puntos de venta. Cuando un gobierno admite la influencia de la industria tabacalera está protegiendo las ganancias de las transnacionales del tabaco a costa de la vida y la salud de la población.”

FUNDEPS, miembro de la Alianza Libre de Humo Argentina (ALIAR) solicita al Ministro Roby que dé marcha atrás en el acuerdo celebrado el 15 de octubre de 2014 con Nobleza Picardo y Massalin Particualres, y que proteja el derecho a la salud de todos los habitantes de la provincia de Mendoza.

Más información

Contacto: Juan Miguel Litvachkes, juanlitvachkes@fundeps.org

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1 Landman, A., Ling, P. M., & Glantz, S. A. (2002). Tobacco industry youth smoking prevention programs: protecting the industry and hurting tobacco control. American journal of public health, 92(6), 917-930.