Capacity building and strengthening of CSOs to carry out advocacy in tobacco control
Throughout the ATCC project, ATCA was deeply engaged in increasing the knowledge and skills of tobacco control advocates in view of supporting advocacy initiatives for desired change in policies. Capacity-builing programmes brought together targeted influential groups, the most prominent ones being parliamentarians, senior government officials, media, religious leaders and civil society. These programmes included a wide array of tobacco-related issues, including the WHO FCTC, interference of the tobacco industry in tobacco control and tobacco taxation. One of these trainings consisted of a two-week Certificate Course at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Multifold benefits accrued from strengthening the capacity of country partners:
– The number of tobacco control advocates in the target countries increased;
– Influential groups like journalists, parliamentarians and religious leaders were involved in advocacy work;
– New laws and policiers were adopted;
– Capacity-building tools and resources were made available to tobacco control advocates; and
– Networks or alliances were created at country and regional levels.
THE NAIROBI DECLARATION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WHO FCTC IN THE WHO AFRICAN REGION (2015).
The Declaration requests African Member States:
To develop, strengthen and enforce comprehensive tobacco control policies, legislation and regulations that fully incorporate the obligations of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and its guidelines.
