Tobacco Documents Online

ITEM 6.4 DEVELOPING COUNTRIES GROUP (DCG) PROGRESS REPORT COVERING EVENTS SINCE THE ICOSI BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING ON OCTOBER 5/8TH 1980 1. The views and decisions of the Board of Directors at - the October 5/8th Meeting as related to the DCG have been amended, incorporated into DCG policy and implemented. In particular : - (a) Section 2 of the DCG Terms of Reference has been amended to read : "Working through NMAs, or where NMAs do not exist, affiliates in developing countries, to prevent, halt or slow down the implementation in those countries of recommendations from outside sources damaging to the industry and to the_domestic econo== mic and social developmcnt". -- (b) Messrs. H. Armitstead of B.A.T. and P. Mercer of Imperial (John Player and Son) became members of - the DCG in November 1980 in order to provide the = expert knowledge of the leaf industry in developing countries needed in relation to certain DCG action- plans. (c) Mr. B.D. Hauser was appointed Consultant to ICOSI on International Organisations in November 1980 ~- NJ and has done valuable work for the DCG in this Q ~ field. tA ~ -~ ~ (d) Mr. W.G. Moore (Carreras Rothmans) became a member ~ CN of the DCG in November 1980. z

2 2. Two projects mentioned in the DCG report to the October 5/8th 1980 BOD Meeting have been discontinued. These are ~ firstly the collection of Mortality and Morbidity figures; about which doubts were expressed at the BOD Meeting. Secondly the examination of documentation about the ~ Fundamentalist Revival, in which context it was felt that there is not yet sufficient evidence of an anti- - smoking platform becoming incorporated in this movement to justify DCG work in this area. 3. Meetings of the DCG were held in Lausanne on November 17/18th 1980 and in Kuala Lumpur on March 3/4th 1981. Plans agreed at the former meeting and the follow-up action that has ensued, together with further decisions taken at the more recent meeting, are set out below : (a) Information from the DCG requested by the EEC Consumerism Task Force Replies from member companies have been collated and supplied to the Task Force, without disclosure of company names. (b) Monitoring (i) International Bodies -------------------- The DCG agreed that organised monitoring of = the activities of selected international bodies should commence as soon as the semi- automated procedures of the ICOSI Informatiori-_ System were in operation, when high quality analysis and speedy transmission would be - possible. In the meanwhile the DCG has been 4: ~ receiving a good deal of information about ~ W1 current activities of international bodies from its own members and from Mr. Hauser.

3 (ii) WHO_Reqional_Offices The DCG has arranged through affiliates of - member companies for the monitoring of the activities of WHO Regional Offices in Alexandria, Brazzaville, New Delhi, Manila and Washington (covering Latin America). (c) Forraation of new NMAs in Develo ing Countries It was reported at the November 17/18th meeting that an NMA already existed in Uruguay and this association has been added to the ICOSI mailing list. Contact has been established with members of the Tobacco Industry Council of Zimbabwe (which includes manufacturers and growers). It is anticipated that this NMA will come on to the ICOSI mailing list very shortly. Preliminary moves have also been made towards the establishment of new NMAs in Zambia, Malawi and Guatemala. Positive action is expected shortly in Venezuela and Mexico and the possibility of creating associations in Ghana and Trinidad is to be examined. The DCG Chairman has emphasized the BOD wish that, whenever possible, the chairman of new NMAs should be persons of local standing from outside the industry. ~ ~ ~ LJ1 ~ -~ It should also perhaps be added that ICOSI member, ~ ~ companies with interests in West African countries ~ ~

- 4 and Middle East countries, where there are no established affiliates, have been meeting to investigate the possibility of forming tobacco information institutes for those areas. (d) Alertina Potentiall,r Friendly Elements ( articular- ly in the Leaf Industry) in Developing Countries to the Implications of the WHO Report's Recommendations The Secretariat paper entitled "The Threat to the Future of the Tobacco Growing and Manufacturing Industry in Developing Countries" was agreed at the DCG Meeting on November 17/18th after certain amendments to it had been made. DCG Members have sent copies of this paper to their affiliates in developing countries and requested them to get over its message in their own country in whatever way they consider effective and appro-- priate to local circumstances. The Secretary General has taken similar action with regard to NMAs in developing countries. At the DCG Meeting on March 3/4th members of the DCG stressed the vital need for regional coordinators to be appointed by ICOSI. One of their main tasks would be to follow up action plans in developing countries, working in cooperation with N.KAs and affiliates. In the view of the DCG, without regional coordinaL-ors it will be almost impossible L-o imple- ment effectively the DCG action plans. (e) Social Costs The unsubstantiated statements on social costs made at UICC Workshops in developing countries have been

- 5 analysed. To provide material to respond where appropriate to such statements, a paper is being produced which will be made available to developing countries and their affiliates. (f) Smoking and Social Behaviour It was agreed on November 17/18th that ICOSI could usefully offer to NMA's and affiliates in developing countries a model for qualitative research on the unwritten rules of social behaviour related to smoking in such countries. The Council of Malaysian Tobacco Manufacturers kindly agreed to organise a research study of this kind and the results were presented at the DCG Meeting on March 3rd 1981. The model was considered to be satisfactory and it was agreed that the methodology and questionnaire-- used should be offered in developing countries, together with a paper produced by the Malaysian N>`ZA setting out those findings in the study which it is considered would be of use in any future discussions that might take place with the Malaysian Government. (g) The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) 1: t was reported Lliat personal con tacts had been - cs-Lablis} cd w.i. Lii sovurzi t I'AO olficials who had provided further writton information on FAO policies. The DCG concluded at the March 3rd meeting that the WHO pressures on the FAO had not produced such a serious change in the FAO's attitude towards tobacco growing as had been suggested in public statements made by FAO officials. During the above-mentioned personal contacts, it has become clear that some FAO officials would welcome more information from the -

6 tobacco industry and the DCG agreed that this oppor- tunity should be followed up and that further plans for establishing positive relationships within FAO should be developed. In addition, through their affiliates in Ghana and Chile,DCG Members are arranging for discreet prelim- inary contacts to be made with the FAO regional offices in those countries a contact with the Regional Office in Bangkok has already been estab- lished. (h) UN Inter-Agency Consultation on Smoking and Health Convened by the WHO in Geneva - February 9/10th 1981. This was attended by representatives of FAO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNIDO, ILO, UNDP and the World Bank. On the eve of the '![arch 3rd meeting of DCG, a report on this meeting was received. Among disturbing developments which emerged at the meeting, was the increasing tendency of industrialised coun- tries to provide funds for WHO anti-smoking projects. During the meeting the various participating orga- nisations have allocated areas in which they would plan to take action after reference to their member countries. Exposure of double standards was one - object and another was the exertion of pressure to force the industry to divulge information on tech- nical production (low tar) and on marketing and - advertising practices It seems clear that follow- ~ . - .~ up meetings of this kind will be organised by WHO ~ L,,1 in order to ensure that these organisations are implementing plans in their particular areas. CN z

7 The DCG will need further time to consider what counteraction might be taken, but preliminary thoughts are that information should be fed to some of these organisations before the next meeting and that NMAs might be able to approach, through appropriate contacts, their governments who are members of several of these organisations. (i) World Bank, IMF and Western Countries Overseas Development Ministries It was agreed that when, as a result of the eco- nomic impact study model currently under production, studies of this kind had been carried out in several developing countries, an economist should be commis- sioned to review their findings and produce a mono- graph. This monograph would then be submitted through appropriate channels to these organisations and ministries. - - (j) Follow-up plans for Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Leaf Tobacco Study - - Arrangements have been made for Mr. Bradford Morse, the head of UNDP, to receive a copy of the complet_e study. The EIU has agreed to publish under its own imprint an abbreviated English version (64 pp) of the study. This will have a preface written by EIU, although ~ ~ N Ln the text, of which the first draft has been com- ~ pleted, has been written by Hill & Knowlton. The - - ..G ~ -~ cover will be an attractive photographic scene and_ -»~ ~ maps and tables will be included. It will be ready for publication at the end of March and will be on

8 sale to the public at 215 a copy and to all indus- try sources at E7 a copy. The present intention is to have an initial printing run of 2000 copies. EIU will provide all administrative and despatch services. DCG, Hill & Knowlton and EIU will colla- borate on distribution plans. The Spanish abbreviated version for Latin America- is being processed by Philip Morris and B.A.T. in collaboration with EIU. The Portugese abbreviated, version for Brazil is being handled by ABIFU:10 (the Brazilian NMA) directly with EIU, but it is under- stood that progress on this project has been held_ up. In addition to the English abbreviated version, Hill & Knowlton are producing press abstracts, speakers' notes and questions and answers, which will be ready in March for incorporation in the eventual communications plan. (k) Economic Impact Model for Developing Countries Mr. George Berman has been commissioned to produce a descriptive model for_the above purpose. To design such a model,representative source countries had to be selected by DCG and-following the criteria provided, the DCG has chosen Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malawi, Mexico, Nigeria,-- Philippines and Zimbabwe. Mr. Berman has been given a list of NMAs or affiliates in those countries to-_ whom he is sending an explanatory letter and ques- tionnaire. The model should be ready in 6 to 8 months and it will be used for a pilot study in one selected country before being made available to all developing country NMAs and affiliates.

- 9 - (1) UICC Workshops The UICC Ariti-Smoking Workshops in October 1980 in Venezuela and Argentina were monitored for the DCG, through the help of member companies. Reports on _ both workshops have been sent out as ICOSI mailings. In addition, in Venezuela two affiliates of ICOSI member companies cooperated in arranging for two speakers to represent the industry's point of view on advertising at the Workshop and favourable media coverage for his presentation was achieved. (m) International Organisation of Consumers` Unions (IOCU) The 10th World Congress of the IOCU is being held in The Hague on June 22/26th 1981. The IOCU has been instrumental in disseminating anti-smoking information in the past (e.g. through its branch office in Penang , Malaysia). Arrangements have been made for the Congress to be monitored. (n) UN Centre on Transnational Cor orations (UNCTC) Under the aegis of UNCTC nine commodity studies, including one on tobacco, are to be undertaken in developing countries. The emphasis will be on examination of the role of multinational companies in relation to these commodities. At the March 3rd DCG Meeting Mr. Hauser reported that he had been in touch with his contacts in UNCTC and had obtained the information that no

- 10 - decision would be made as to the countries in which the tobacco and other commodity studies would be - carried out until September 1981, and a meeting would be held in New York for this purpose. The first drafts of the studies were expected to be ready in the 2nd quarter of 1982, when the industry would be invited to discuss the tobacco study and given full opportunity to comment. Mr. Hauser can find no evidence that the tobacco study will touch upon the smoking and health issue in any way and __ considers that the study will be conducted in an objective manner. (o) "Smoking : Third World Alert" With WHO backing, a book of this title is due to-be published by the Oxford University Press later in 1981. The author is Mrs. Ram Nath, who was a dele- gate and speaker at the 4th World Smoking and Health Conference in Stockholm. The book will concentrate on the developing countries and be largely based on papers presented in Stockholm. Mrs. Ram Nath recently broadcast on the subject on Radio 4 in England. A member of DCG is keeping closely in touch with the progress of the book and the DCG is considering what future action it might take in this context. (p) University of Lancaster Study Some medical sociologists at this University in the UK are proposing to embark on a study on the __ growth of the tobacco industry and markets in developing countries, with particular emphasis on East Africa. Little progress appears to have been made to date, but a member of DCG is keeping close- ly in touch with developments. r