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FACT SHEET - The Bloomberg Global Initiative To Reduce Tobacco
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INTRODUCTION
The Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados (HSFB), the Heart
Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ) (for The Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control), the
Trinidad & Tobago Cancer Society and the Guyana Chest Society have recently been
awarded a grant from the Bloomberg Global Initiative. The two year funding
programme is in order to ensure the implementation of rotating picture-based
package warnings on all tobacco products sold in CARICOM (Caribbean Community)
countries.
PROJECT DETAILS
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Project title
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"Introducing a Picture-Based Health Warning System on Cigarette Packages
in the Caribbean"
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Amount of grant
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In excess of USD$600,000
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Duration of project
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24 months
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Proposed start date of project
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MAY, 2008
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Project scope
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Regional – The Caribbean – including Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and
Trinidad & Tobago
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Project outreach:
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The population of the 4 countries involved in the project.
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BACKGROUND
The Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados was established in
1986 as a non-profit organisation and is a member of the InterAmerican Heart
Foundation and the World Heart Federation. The Foundation is involved in
prevention and rehabilitation programmes for cardiovascular disease and
emergency cardiac care programmes. The Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer is a
member of the Policy Committee of the international Framework Convention
Alliance on tobacco control.
The Bloomberg project’s primary objective is to achieve a
strong CARICOM (Caribbean Community) cigarette labelling standard, which is
currently being updated and circulated for comment in countries, and to ensure
implementation of the standard or equally strong requirements in four target
countries: Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Project strategies will include lobbying of national
politicians, raising awareness among key decision makers and community leaders,
and mobilizing and informing strategic sectors of the public, including the
media, in support of the warnings.
STAFFING
The project office is situated in the HFJ with
responsibility for implementation in four Caribbean countries. The office will
be staffed by a Project Manager and a Communications Officer with additional
administrative support from HFJ. The Executive Director of HFJ will oversee the
entire project. There will be a Project Officer in each of the other three
countries assigned to the specified non governmental organization partners. The
designated organizations are:
• Barbados - Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados
• Guyana - The Guyana Chest Society
• Trinidad & Tobago - The Trinidad & Tobago Cancer Society
THE USE OF HEALTH WARNINGS
Experience elsewhere in the world has shown that
picture-based health warnings on tobacco packaging motivate smokers to try to
quit smoking. Additionally these warnings inform potential adolescent smokers of
the harms of tobacco use and inform smokers of the harm caused to loved ones by
second hand tobacco smoke exposure.
The Labelling Technical Committee of the Bureau of Standards
(BOS) of Jamaica is the body designated by CARICOM to develop recommendations
for tobacco package warnings. In 2005 the BOS Jamaica was asked by the regional
Standards body, the Caribbean Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ),
made up of the national Bureaus of Standards of CARICOM member states, to revise
the current cigarette labelling standards.
POLITICAL SUPPORT
A key issue to the development of a strong recommendation by
the BOS of Jamaica is the fact that tobacco industry representatives are very
active. Effective political support across all Caribbean countries is required
to counteract the pressure and lobbying that the tobacco companies are able to
apply within the industry and the region.
This project will engage in advocacy to ensure that the
CROSQ receives additional comments in favour of best practices in support of a
strong CARICOM labelling standard. The effort will be focused on implementation
of rotating picture-based package warnings by early 2009 in the four target
countries participating in this project.
A major objective will be to sensitize policy makers and key
opinion leaders regarding the importance of communicating accurate, clear,
strong, direct, specific and easy-to-understand information about the health
hazards of tobacco use and second hand tobacco smoke.
RESOURCES AVAILABLE
This project will benefit from committed collaboration
between non-governmental organizations and ministries of health in the
Caribbean, supported by technical expertise by international organizations
including the InterAmerican Heart Foundation and regional and country offices of
the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization.
Specifically this project has the political commitment of
the Ministries of Health of Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
This group of countries together represents more than 78% (4,986,000) of the
population of the English speaking Caribbean.
For further information contact:
Communications Officer
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Phone: 876-926-4378, 926-6492
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The Heart Foundation of Jamaica
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Email: jctc@infochan.com
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Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control
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Website: www.heartfoundation.org.jm
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Bloomberg Global Initiative
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OR:
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Adrian Randall
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Phone: 246 437 3312 or 266 5321
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Chief Executive Officer
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Email: adrianrandall@hsfbarbados.org
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Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados Inc.
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Website: www.hsfbarbados.org
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