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WBB Trust has been working on tobacco control since
its founding in 1998. The aim of our program is to support law and
policy that will lead to population-wide reductions in tobacco use.
International experience shows that only through laws and policies
(specifically banning of tobacco ads, increase of taxes on tobacco
products, expansion of smoke-free public places, and strong, graphic
warnings on tobacco packs) will large reductions in tobacco use occur.
In order to achieve stronger law and policy, WBB Trust
works to build capacity of NGOs and government agencies; share
information with the media to increase coverage of tobacco-related
issues and particularly how to reduce tobacco use; create and
disseminate reports and other information; and organize demonstrations
to draw attention to the cause. WBB Trust has
extensive international and local networks. WBB Trust is an active
member of the Framework Convention Alliance (FCA), working for
ratification and implementation of a strong Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control (FCTC). WBB Trust is one of the founding members
of the Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance (BATA) and serves as BATA's
secretariat. We have over 400 local NGOs in our tobacco control
network. Progress to date includes two
successful lawsuits against the tobacco industry (Voyage of Discovery
and Imperial Tobacco), a successful campaign to convince the government
to sign and ratify the FCTC, and to pass a comprehensive tobacco control
law. These outcomes were made possible by years of work in
building our coalition, training our members, working closely with
government officials, involving journalists, creating information in
Bengali, and organizing endless demonstrations.
Our work over the years has been possible due to the generous support of
our international donors, including the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA), PATH Canada, UICC, the American Cancer
Society, and WHO. |
