Tobacco industry corporate social responsibility activities and other interference after ratification of a strong tobacco law in Ethiopia.

Autor:	Mengesha SD; Environmental Health and Noninfectious Disease, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia sisdres23@yahoo.com., Brolan C; School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia., Gartner CE; School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Tobacco control [Tob Control] 2024 Oct 19; Vol. 33 (6), pp. 767-774. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Oct 19.
DOI:	10.1136/tc-2023-058079
Abstrakt:	Background: Since strict new tobacco control laws were introduced in 2019 and 2020, the National Tobacco Enterprise (NTE), the main manufacturer and distributor of cigarettes in Ethiopia, strategically engaged in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and other tactics to interfere in tobacco control policymaking. This study systematically identified and reviewed tobacco industry activities that undermine Ethiopia's strict new tobacco control laws. Methods: We collated, reviewed and analysed evidence on tobacco industry CSR activities from February 2019 to November 2022 in Ethiopia, including newspapers, organisational websites, social media and government documents related to tobacco industry activities, contract agreements and other policy interference attempts. Results: NTE's CSR activities included: (1) Funding educational programmes (eg, postgraduate scholarships); (2) Community service (eg, donating COVID-19 prevention materials, providing water, sanitation and hygiene supplies); and (3) Supporting government programmes (eg, greening initiatives and training programmes). NTE facilitated CSR activities via a contract agreement with the Ethiopian government that was created when Japan Tobacco International purchased the Government's majority share in NTE. NTE subsequently partnered with the Japanese Embassy in Addis Ababa and private law firms on CSR activities. The tobacco control community stopped NTE distributing free COVID-19 prevention products in Addis Ababa but had limited impact on other identified breaches of laws prohibiting tobacco advertising promotion and sponsorship. Conclusion: The new laws have not stopped NTE using multiple CSR activities to interfere in tobacco control policy. Regular monitoring of tobacco industry CSR activities to identify potential breaches is recommended. Moreover, the Ethiopian government should revise its contractual agreement with NTE to end NTE's participation in law-making processes and partnerships on illicit tobacco control. Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared. (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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