WASHINGTON - JUNE 26 - This week the 148 countries that have ratified the global tobacco treaty convene in Bangkok to advance the critical work of implementing the treaty. The U.S. government is expected to be represented at the meeting, but only as an observer and not as a voting participant. Health and corporate accountability advocates are calling on the Bush administration to submit the treaty to the Senate for ratification, as yet another major milestone passes without U.S. participation.

“U.S. ratification would protect current and future generations of Americans from tobacco addiction, disease and death,” says Corporate Accountability International Policy Director Kathryn Mulvey. “It would also facilitate global cooperation to rein in Big Tobacco’s Marlboro Men, since the U.S. is home to the world’s largest and most profitable tobacco corporation, Philip Morris/Altria.”

The Bangkok meeting, formally known as the Second Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, will address a number of key issues. Items on the agenda include: tobacco smuggling, protection from exposure to tobacco smoke and tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. Ongoing funding and protection of health policy from interference by tobacco corporations will also be addressed.

The U.S., once a leader in tobacco control, remains on the sidelines. In May 2003, when the World Health Assembly unanimously adopted the global tobacco treaty, the U.S. was part of the consensus.  President Bush signed the treaty in May 2004, in the flurry of his re-election campaign, but has not yet submitted it to the Senate for ratification.

“It’s no secret that the Bush administration’s approval ratings are at an all-time low,” continues Mulvey. “Releasing the global tobacco treaty to the Senate for a vote would be an important step toward demonstrating that the administration prioritizes the health and lives of people around the world over the tobacco industry’s profits.”

# # #

Corporate Accountability International, formerly Infact, is a membership organization that protects people by waging and winning campaigns challenging irresponsible and dangerous corporate actions around the world. For over 25 years, we've forced corporations -- like Nestlé, General Electric and Philip Morris/Altria -- to stop abusive actions. For more information visit www.stopcorporateabuse.org.

###