Bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship in the African Region, 2013
Banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship is an obligation under Article 13 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). Countries should implement comprehensive measures in order to eliminate tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship at both domestic and international levels. The ban should be in national legislation and not a voluntary measure. Countries in the African Region are at different stages in banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship in 2013.
A comprehensive ban on advertising, promotion and sponsorship would reduce the consumption of tobacco products. It is proven that a ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship is effective only if it has a broad scope. If the ban is not comprehensive, the tobacco industry inevitably shifts its expenditure to other advertising, promotion and sponsorship strategies, including using indirect ways to promote tobacco products and tobacco use.
This document is featuring key information related to effective ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship as contained in Article 13 of the WHO FCTC and its guidelines; and also progress in implementation from the WHO Reports on the global tobacco epidemic as well as factsheets on the Global Youth Tobacco Survey.
The information presented in this document is useful to policy-makers, governments and tobacco control advocates, especially for countries in the African Region that have to meet their obligation under Article 13 of the WHO FCTC of developing and enforcing a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
