Jordan, Amman, 3 September – In an official letter, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy congratulated His Excellency the Minister of Health of Jordan Professor Feras Hawari on Jordan's accession to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. Jordan’s accession was ratified on 25 July 2024 and becomes effective on 23 October.
In her letter, Dr Balkhy underlined the importance of the step in enhancing national, regional and international efforts to combat the illicit trade in tobacco products and stressed WHO's full support for Jordan in implementing the Protocol and developing tobacco control policies.
The Protocol is based on Article 15 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which Jordan was the second country in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region to ratify. Article 15 refers to the threats posed by the illicit trade in tobacco products and specifies measures that countries must take to prevent it. The Protocol aims to bolster cooperation between countries, including the exchange of information, so they can implement effective measures to prevent the smuggling of tobacco products.
Jordan’s accession to the protocol will allow it to participate in the fourth session of the Meeting of Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (MOP4), scheduled for 2025. It will enable Jordan to contribute to regional and global discussions on tobacco control strategies and enhance cooperation and the international exchange of expertise in monitoring and controlling smuggling networks, implementing national legislation and enforcing laws combating illicit trade.
Praising Jordan’s accession, Dr Jamela Al-Raiby, WHO Representative to Jordan, said: “This is a necessary and decisive step towards realizing royal directives and achieving the objectives of the National Strategy to Combat Tobacco and Smoking in All Its Forms 2024–2026. It is an effective contribution towards improving public health in Jordan and enhancing the health of society.”
Dr Al-Raiby attributed the success “to the close and continuous cooperation between the World Health Organization, the Jordanian Government and all our strategic partners”.
Jordan’s accession to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products complements its National Action Plan 2024–2026. It will make a significant contribution to public health by protecting communities from the harms of the illicit trade in tobacco products and is an important step towards achieving tobacco control goals and enhancing the coordination of national, regional and international efforts to combat tobacco and create a smoke-free and healthier Jordan.
Note to editors:
The illicit trade in tobacco products poses a serious threat to public health. It increases access to tobacco products at cheaper prices, fueling the tobacco epidemic and undermining tobacco control policies. The trade also causes a significant loss in government revenue and finances international criminal activities.
The Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products is an international treaty that aims to eliminate all forms of illicit trade through a package of measures that countries take in cooperation with one another.
The Protocol defines illicit trade in tobacco products as any practice or conduct related to the production, shipment, receipt, ownership, distribution, sale or purchase of tobacco products in a manner prohibited by law.
