Monthly Archives: May 2023

Apparel Group’s receipt of the CSR Award is a testament of the group’s significant contributions to the community and showcases its dedication to environmental stewardship…reports Asian Lite News

Apparel Group, a leading retail fashion and lifestyle conglomerate, has been honored with the prestigious CSR Award for Exemplary Corporate Social Responsibility in the Retail category at the Qatar CSR Summit. The summit, held under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, took place from May 16–18 at Qatar University. Hosted by the Qatar National Program, the awards gala dinner celebrated organizations that have demonstrated outstanding commitment to corporate social responsibility.

Apparel Group’s receipt of the CSR Award is a testament of the group’s significant contributions to the community and showcases its dedication to environmental stewardship and social welfare. As a strategic partner of UN Global Compact, Apparel Group continues its commitment to corporate social responsibility initiatives aimed at creating a positive and sustainable impact.

The summit brought together CSR experts and professionals to explore the incorporation of economic, social, and environmental goals into organizational operations. Apparel Group actively promoted its CSR activities during the summit, fostering transformative learning and exchanging best practices in the field.

Mr. Neeraj Teckchandani, CEO of Apparel Group said: “The recognition received by Apparel Group at the Qatar CSR Summit reinforces the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and its dedication to forging solid cross-sector collaborations. Through partnerships with organizations such as the Red Crescent and Qatar Charity, Apparel Group strives to create a positive impact on both the environment and society. As Apparel Group continues to drive sustainable practices and corporate social responsibility, the company remains dedicated to making a lasting and positive impact on the community and the environment.”

Over the years, Apparel Group has actively engaged in multiple charitable endeavors, including substantial donations to organizations such as Qatar Charity, Hamad Medical Center, DEAP, and local schools. The group has also supported meal distribution programs, promoting social welfare and addressing pressing community needs.

One of the company’s notable initiatives aligns with Qatar’s efforts to ban plastic usage, reflecting its commitment to combat plastic waste. Apparel Group has actively participated alongside multiple organizations in supporting this national endeavor, emphasizing the importance of environmental responsibility and sustainable practices.

In 2023 alone, Apparel Group has made significant strides towards sustainability including organizing beach cleanups, participating in Earth Hour initiatives, and contributing to earthquake relief funds. The company continues to champion long-term sustainable practices within the region, fostering ethical behavior, minimizing waste, and raising awareness about sustainable practices among individuals and businesses.

ALSO READ: Rolls-Royce set to cut costs

Elizabeth Holmes, the once-celebrated founder of Theranos, has commenced her 11-year prison sentence in a Texas facility. This marks a significant chapter in the unravelling of the Theranos scandal, which rocked the technology and healthcare industries. The trial and subsequent sentencing of Holmes have shed light on the dangers of corporate fraud and the importance of accountability in the business world.

The Rise and Fall of Theranos

Theranos, a Silicon Valley startup founded by Elizabeth Holmes in 2003, promised to revolutionize the medical industry with its blood-testing technology. At its peak, the company was valued at billions of dollars and Holmes was hailed as a visionary entrepreneur. However, as investigations unfolded, it became apparent that Theranos’ technology was flawed and its claims were grossly exaggerated.

The Trial and Conviction

Elizabeth Holmes faced a high-profile trial, where she was charged with multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy. The prosecution presented evidence that revealed a web of deception orchestrated by Holmes and her team. Investors, doctors, and patients were misled by false claims about Theranos’ capabilities, putting lives and financial investments at risk. After a lengthy trial, Holmes was found guilty on several charges, leading to her 11-year prison sentence.

Impact on the Tech and Healthcare Industries

Read More: Elizabeth Holmes— The Rise and Fall of the Youngest Female Self-Made Billionaire in the World

The Theranos scandal has had far-reaching consequences for both the tech and healthcare sectors. It exposed the dangers of unchecked hype and the potential harm caused by unproven technologies in critical fields such as healthcare. The case served as a wake-up call for investors and regulators, prompting increased scrutiny and caution in evaluating tech startups, particularly in the healthcare space.

Lessons in Corporate Accountability

Elizabeth Holmes’ prison sentence sends a powerful message about the importance of holding corporate leaders accountable for their actions. The case serves as a reminder that individuals who engage in fraudulent practices will face legal consequences, regardless of their status or reputation. This outcome reinforces the need for robust corporate governance, transparency, and ethical decision-making to protect stakeholders and maintain trust in the business world.

Implications for Tech Innovation

The fallout from the Theranos scandal has prompted a reevaluation of the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the tech industry. While innovation is crucial for progress, it must be balanced with ethical considerations and responsible practices. The case has raised questions about the need for increased regulatory oversight, stricter due diligence, and a focus on delivering tangible results rather than hype.

Over the past few months, we’ve watched as major corporations such as
Disney
, Anheuser-Busch, and Target have hopped on the
LGBT
train and alienated their traditional client bases as a result. Regardless of the often swift and brutal backlash they know will follow, others, including North Face, Nike, and Kohl’s, are always waiting in the wings to become the next sacrificial lamb.

It turns out there’s a reason for this counterintuitive behavior that goes far beyond virtue signaling: Companies are trying to raise their Corporate Equality Index. The more
woke
issues a company supports, the higher their score.

TEXAS TO JOIN FLORIDA IN BANNING DEI IN HIGHER EDUCATION

A CEI is essentially a “woke” credit score that is determined by the

Human Rights Campaign
, a 501(c)(4) organization that describes itself as “the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States.” No one will be surprised to hear that George Soros’s Open Society Foundations is HRC’s largest donor. Other donors include the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the labor unions for the National Education Association and the United Food and Commercial Workers, according to

Influence Watch
.

Influence Watch reports HRC’s public charity arm, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, plays an influential role in Democratic Party politics by pressuring companies to comply with its social agenda.

A company’s CEI is derived from its performance in

five areas
:

1. Workforce Protections (5 points possible).
2. Inclusive Benefits (50 points possible).
3. Supporting an Inclusive Culture (25 points possible).
4. Corporate Social Responsibility (20 points possible).
5. Responsible Citizenship (-25).

Yes, you read that right. “A large-scale official or public anti-LGBTQ blemish” on a company’s record will result in the loss of 25 points. HRC explains that “scores on this criterion are based on information that has come to HRC’s attention.”

For example, Fox News, which for three years had scored 100%,

lost its perfect rating
in April 2022 after several hosts defended Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) Parental Rights in Education Act, better known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

HRCF’s

2022 report
shows that 842 corporations achieved CEIs of 100%, which earned them the apparently coveted distinction of being one of the “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality.”

An explainer about the index published by the New York Post last month

notes
that CEI is “a lesser-known part of the burgeoning ESG [environmental, social, and corporate governance] ‘
ethical investing’ movement
increasingly pushed by the country’s top three investment firms,” BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street Bank. “ESG funds invest in companies that oppose fossil fuels, push for unionization, and stress racial and gender equity over merit in hiring and board selection.”

The New York Post reports that “HRC sends representatives to corporations every year telling them what kind of stuff they have to make visible at the company. They give them a list of demands and if they don’t follow through there’s a threat that you won’t keep your CEI score.”

James Lindsay, editor of the website New Discourses, told the New York Post, “HRC administers the CEI ranking ‘like an extortion racket, like the Mafia.’”

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination,

said
, “The big fund managers like BlackRock all embrace this ESG orthodoxy in how they apply pressure to top corporate management teams and boards and they determine, in many cases, executive compensation and bonuses and who gets re-elected or re-appointed to boards. They can make it very difficult for you if you don’t abide by their agendas.”

In a 2018 letter to CEOs from BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, whom Fortune magazine has dubbed the “
face of ESG
,” he emphasizes a “new model of governance” in harmony with ESG values.

Fink

wrote
, “Society is demanding that companies, both public and private, serve a social purpose. To prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society. … [I]f a company doesn’t engage with the community and have a sense of purpose, it will ultimately lose the license to operate from key stakeholders.”

Fink is mistaken. Society is not demanding that companies serve a social purpose. Rather, ESG is being forced upon society by the global elites who wield it as a weapon and a control mechanism they can use to consolidate power over the masses.

The mission of the activist group Our Money, Our Values is to educate the public about the threats posed by ESG. OMOV

quotes
Derek Kreifels, the co-founder and CEO of State Financial Officers Foundation, on its front page: “ESG is a highly subjective political score infiltrating all walks of life, forcing progressive policies on everyday Americans, resulting in higher prices at the pump and at the store.”

Asked for a comment by the New York Post, Kreifels

said
, “The problem with measures like CEI, and its big brother ESG, is that it introduces an incentive structure outside of the bounds of business, often in ways contradictory to fiduciary duty.”

It certainly is. Corporations exist to maximize shareholder value, not to serve social purposes. The interests of shareholders of Anheuser-Busch, Disney, Target, and other companies whose executives have prioritized ESG over profits, and common sense, are clearly not being served.

If shareholders were smart, they’d take legal action to eradicate this attack on shareholder rights and American values. And even those of us who don’t have a financial stake in corporate American must understand that the culture wars are strangling us and turning the United States into a country we no longer recognize. We stop focusing on them at our peril.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM RESTORING AMERICA

Elizabeth Stauffer is a contributor to the Washington Examiner, Power Line, the Western Journal, and AFNN and is a past contributor to RedState, Newsmax, and
Bongino.com
. Her articles have appeared on many sites, including RealClearPolitics, MSN, and the Federalist. Please follow Elizabeth on 
Twitter
 or 
LinkedIn
.

As the European Parliament goes to a full plenary vote on a major new sustainability directive introducing tighter regulations are requirements are measurement and reporting. Jeff Sacre,  Suzanne Curry and Randy Mott of non-profit trade organisations CHWMEG explains what this means for UK PLC. 

A landmark EU Directive set to be passed in early June and adopted later this year will hold thousands of companies around the world responsible for all adverse human rights and environmental impacts of their actions throughout their chain of activities inside and outside Europe. The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), as it’s called, is one of the most ambitious projects undertaken by the EU in the realm of environmental corporate accountability, and promises to seriously shake things up for businesses.

Companies affected by the directive will now have to conduct mandatory audits of all vendors or suppliers involved in their “chain of activities” – meaning anything from product manufacturing to waste disposal – to ensure that environmental and human rights standards are being met every step of the way. If any direct or indirect supplier is found to have adversely impacted the environment, companies will be liable for clean-up costs, proportionate to their involvement at the facility.

But that’s not all. The Directive adds that if an audit finds that any direct or indirect supplier is at risk of causing an adverse impact, companies will be required to attempt to assist those deficient suppliers to reach the Directive’s requirements. Basically, companies will be responsible for offering a certain percentage of the financial sum needed to repair whatever that supplier needs fixed, based on whatever percentage their business with that facility accounts for.

In sum, companies will not only be liable for damages caused by vendors and facilities in Europe and throughout the world, but for preventing them too. The new rules principally apply to EU-based companies – aroundt 50,000 firms will be affected – but also target non-EU companies active in the EU with a turnover rate of at least €150 million within Europe.

So how will it affect British firms?

An analysis by financial data firm Refinitiv estimates that of the approximately 10,000 foreign companies about to be hit by the directive, 11% of these are British.

The UK may no longer be an EU member state since January 2020, but it remains one of the EU’s most important trading partners. In 2022, the UK exported £340 billion of goods and services to the EU, a sum representing 42% of total UK exports (a drop from pre-Brexit levels when the EU accounted for nearly 50% of all UK foreign trade, but a hefty percentage nonetheless). 

British firms have a presence throughout the EU and thus will be subject to the new Directive. This, at first, may seem like an additional headache. But we have good news. Because the UK, unlike the EU, has an important history of robust environmental waste management due diligence practices, British businesses may actually have a leg up.

In terms of sustainability, downstream waste management is arguably one of the most important and impactful parts of a company’s chain of activities. In the UK, waste due diligence efforts have been the norm since they were first mandated by the 1990 Environmental Protection Act. Companies that generate waste are responsible for knowing exactly what happens to their waste.

This means that as a best management practice, firms that have contracts with waste treatment facilities (or their transport sister companies) conduct regular audits to assess how safely they dispose of or recycle their waste. That’s not the case in the EU, where industrial waste management contracts are usually done through a brokerage system, by which firms have contracts with a single vendor who arranges the waste disposal with third parties, meaning waste generators often have no idea where their waste goes and how it’s handled.

As a waste management trade association with a global presence, we have seen, firsthand, how familiar UK facilities are with this auditing protocol whenever we’ve conducted on-site reviews for clients, as opposed to the confusion we often encounter at EU facilities. So UK businesses should have the knowledge and experience to carry out the downstream due diligence now required by the Directive. That said, they may not have been conducting these in Europe. They’ll have to start now.

According to the current drafts of the law, they will now have to do the following:

Identify each supplier and vendor they use in the EU, then create a means by which they can assess risks posed by their suppliers in a number of categories, namely in terms of employees, local communities and the environment.

They will have to produce annual reports detailing supply-chain risks, listing these by order of importance, and create plans stipulating how they will approach suppliers to request they make the appropriate changes to their operations or facilities to decrease risks. There is a strong possibility companies will then also be required to financially assist in, or cover the costs of, suppliers or vendors making the necessary changes to reduce their risks.

And they will have to conduct on-site audits of all suppliers and vendors every two years, using third-party, independent bodies. Certificates do not count as due diligence. In the intermediate year, companies will have to conduct an online review, also using a third-party, independent body.

The CHWMEG organization and others like it, including the UK’s Waste Facilities Audit Association (WFAA), have been conducting third-party audits of waste vendors and facilities for decades at competitive prices which, in both the short and long term, help businesses stay on top of their environmental stewardship and avoid paying extravagant remediation costs down the line.

It is imperative that UK companies begin assessing their suppliers in the EU now in order to determine whether they need to support them to reduce their risks, or replace them with other suppliers. They should know there are tools to help them.

More on corporate sustainability: 

The positive case for ESG and why the USA is in danger of getting it wrong

Packaging Extended Producer Accountability explained

Consumers believe ESG should now be mandatory

85% of global companies are failing to cut flying emissions

Images: Christian Lue (Top) / Guillaume Périgois (Middle)

It was said for a long time that it was just a passing fad, but time has shown that this is not the case. The truth is that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a fundamental element for companies in Mexico and around the world. In this sense, the pharmaceutical industry is no stranger to this approach, since it has a significant impact on people’s health and well-being.

As we know, CSR demands that companies of all kinds assume an ethical commitment and actively contribute to the sustainable development of the society in which they operate. In the case of the pharmaceutical industry, the duty is greater, because its mission is to provide health through its research and medical innovations.

But despite what many might think, it is not only about providing quality medicines and treatments, but also going further and supporting the communities most in need, which in countries like Mexico are many.

Pharmaceuticals united for a single purpose

During the pandemic, we witnessed how pharmaceutical companies from around the world came together as a scientific community, accelerated their work and focused on research for the creation of vaccines and treatments to combat the disease that emerged at the end of 2019 caused by the new coronavirus, Covid-19.

We all know the results were very positive and were done in a record time of just a few months, in a process that usually takes a decade or even more; thus, a series of anti-Covid vaccines were developed, produced and distributed throughout the world to combat it, in addition to a few medicines that have already begun to be used to treat the sick.

We cannot fail to mention that despite the joint effort, each pharmaceutical company also worked on their own developments, which is why we saw a handful of vaccines emerge from different latitudes, some of them even in collaboration, such as that of Pfizer-BioNtech, to mention one case.

As we see, pharmaceutical companies have the ability to use their resources, experience and global reach to address health challenges and social commitments. Through CSR programs, these companies can make a significant difference in people’s lives, as well as improve access to health care and necessary resources.

“Under the shelter of Novartis”

Novartis, of Swiss origin, is a leading pharmaceutical company worldwide. The firm has demonstrated its commitment to CSR in Mexico through various initiatives that seek to benefit vulnerable communities. It is enough to remember his campaign “Under the shelter of Novartis”, which began in 2004, where company personnel -who offered their participation voluntarily in their free time- went to poor communities in our country to distribute blankets in cold weather. .

This pharmaceutical company has reaffirmed its commitment to promote access to quality medical care and medicines in the country. To this end, the company has implemented various initiatives to address the needs of the most vulnerable communities and ensure that they have access to essential treatments.

One prominent example is the “Acceso Novartis” program, which focuses on providing affordable medicines for patients with chronic diseases. Through this initiative, Novartis seeks to reduce economic barriers and facilitate access to vital treatments and improve adherence to treatment, thereby improving the quality of life of thousands of people in Mexico.

Promotion of sustainable practices

Also, sustainability and environmental protection are key elements in the recent actions of Novartis México in terms of CSR. The company has implemented policies and programs to reduce its environmental footprint and promote sustainable practices in all its operations.

In particular, Novartis has placed an emphasis on reducing energy and water consumption, proper waste management and mitigation of carbon emissions. In addition, the pharmaceutical company promotes environmental education and ecological awareness among its employees and various audiences.

These actions, among others, demonstrate that the pharmaceutical industry can go beyond its core role and use its resources and expertise to make a positive difference in people’s lives. Also, they can contribute to the construction of a more just and equitable society, where access to medical care and social support are a reality for all.

7 pharmaceutical companies 7

In this sense, the business magazine Executive World released its list of the 100 companies that have shown that they take CSR seriously and fully commit, seven of which belong to the pharmaceutical industry and are active members of the National Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry (Canifarma).

To determine if a company meets the necessary characteristics to be recognized with the CSR badge, 40 items divided into the following five sections are used: 1) Quality of life in the company, 2) Business ethics, 3) Link and commitment to the community, 4) Environment and 5) Economic factor.

The seven pharmaceutical companies included in the 2022 list, according to the position they occupy, are the following:

• Pfizer,

• AstraZeneca,

• Sanofi,

• Bristol Myers Squibb,

• Novartis,

• Roche and

• Bayern.

Unwavering social commitment

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), companies that assume their social responsibility have the following characteristics: “They take into consideration the repercussions that their activities have on society, in which they affirm the principles and values ​​by which they govern, both in their own internal methods and processes, and in relation to the other actors”.

To conclude, however, CSR is a voluntary undertaking that only depends on the company in question, and refers to activities that go beyond mere compliance with the law, but which is understood as a commitment to its environment and to society in general. . In the case of pharmaceutical companies, due to their nature focused on providing health, the duty to others is even greater.

Reforms to the health system are published in the DOF

It finally appeared published and its effects are already beginning to be felt. He Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) published on Monday, May 29, the decree by which the Insabi disappears and its functions are integrated into the IMSS-Welfare. In this way, various provisions of the General Health Law (LGS) are reformed, added and repealed, to regulate the Health System for Well-being (SSB). It entered into force yesterday, Tuesday May 30.

Let us remember that on April 25, the Plenary of the Chamber of Deputies approved the draft decree, which was sent to the Senate of the Republic for its constitutional effects, with which, however, the Insabi disappears -which at the beginning of 2020 had replaced Seguro Popular- and its functions are integrated into the IMSS-Welfare.

The published decree details that the health services of the IMSS-Bienestar will collaborate with the Ministry of Health (SSa) regarding the free provision of health services, medicines and other associated supplies required by people without social security.

In this context, in theory, the governments of the federal entities will assist in the operation and strengthening of the National Health System (SNS), which configures that the SSB is now made up of: the SSa, Health Services of the IMSS-Welfare, as well as the institutions and organizations that participate in it and, in addition, concurrently by the federal entities.

It is important to mention that said decree expressly prohibits the collection of recovery fees for the provision of health services, medicines and other supplies associated with people without social security.

Let’s see what this new design of the health system, done on the knees, results in. As we know, the Insabi did not work -so much so that now it rests in the cemetery- and now this government is betting everything on the IMSS-Welfare “pulling the ox out of the ravine”, to see what happens with this cuatrotero health model, but the outlook, initially, is not rosy.

The AME, included in the LER

Cur-AME, Spinal Muscular Atrophy Foundation Mexico, announced that Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) has been included in the List of Rare Diseases (LER) of the General Health Council (CSG), which means that public health institutions health should provide multidisciplinary care to patients with SMA.

It should be said that SMA is a congenital neuromuscular disease that damages the motor neurons of the spinal cord, which causes progressive muscle weakness, due to the deficiency of the SMN1 gene. In short, it is a highly disabling disease that affects all muscles, including the respiratory muscles.

Worldwide, it affects one in 10,000 people, while one in 40 people are carriers. SMA has become the main cause of death in genetic diseases in children under two years of age, especially for not having a correct diagnosis in early stages and treatment, for which it is essential to include this condition in neonatal screening.

Given this, CurAME has promoted internal registries of people with SMA among their communities through which they seek to have an estimate of the population of people with this condition, since currently in Mexico there is no official registry that generates reliable figures on incidence, prevalence and mortality of SMA, in addition to allowing medical and social care interventions focused on this population group.

Treatments for SMA that have a sanitary registry in Mexico were included in the National Compendium of Health Supplies (CNIS), which allows the availability of such treatments for public health institutions.

Thus, the next efforts should be aimed at achieving the inclusion of treatments in the catalogs of public health institutions to make access effective, as well as to move towards a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to SMA. In addition to this, it is necessary to give greater visibility to this disease so that it is known and recognized by all.

But the inclusion of SMA in the LER is very good news. Congratulations.

the first aid kit

• According to the lawyer Javier Coello Trejo, who is one of the plaintiffs, there are already 17 complaints against the Undersecretary of Health, former czar of the pandemic, Hugo López-Gatell, for the deaths registered during the health emergency due to the new Covid-19 disease. 19. We’ll see how this soap opera ends.
• The INAH, again to the old ways. There are already reports of the destruction of an old aqueduct in one of the drainage rehabilitation works in the Historic Center of Puebla, which has exposed the lack of INAH supervision in an area that belongs to the monumental zone of the Puebla capital. . Therefore, the INAH has had an unsuccessful intervention in this project, because institute officials would have tried to make undue charges -of four million pesos- for a task that corresponds to them as part of their work. Like this or more corruption?

The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on governments across the country to provide support for farmers to boost agricultural production. Speaking at an event to herald the World No Tobacco Day, the Executive Director of CAPPA, Mr Akinbode Oluwafemi said this has become necessary to help their transition from tobacco to crop farming.

World No Tobacco Day is marked every May 31, as set aside by the World Health Organisation to call attention to the ills of tobacco cultivation and consumption. The theme of this year’s celebration is ‘We need Food, Not Tobacco”

Speaking during the programme, Mr Oluwafemi called on governments to include financial aid, affordable agricultural loans and insurance products as parts of their programmes  to help the farmers and protect them from unforeseen losses.

He added that during a recent trip to the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State, the main tobacco growing belt in the southwest region, the farmers shared their experiences expressed their frustration in getting government’s assistance to support their transition efforts.

He observed that the stories told by the former tobacco farmers highlight the regrettable truth of how the tobacco industry often treats these crucial contributors to their global supply chain as disposables. CAPPA, therefore, called on the government to Investigate the disengagement contracts the British American Tobacco (BAT) Nigeria signed with local tobacco farmers in view of a breach of the terms which some of the farmers alleged.

CAPPA also called for an audit of the total acreage allocated to tobacco farming in Oke Ogun, and the entire country to help the government determine the level of damage done to the environment. It also called for a verifiable afforestation programme in the entire Oke Ogun axis to make up for decades of depleted ecosystem.

In its eight-point suggestions, the non-governmental organization called on governments at all levels to set up and support the establishment of Farmers’ cooperatives to bolster their collective bargaining power when negotiating prices for crops and insulate them against market fluctuations.

It called for support of crop diversification programmes that can provide farmers with alternatives to tobacco farming, such as provision of resources to farmers to grow crops that are not only profitable but also sustainable and beneficial for the health of the land and people.

According to it, investment in local infrastructure such as irrigation systems, storage facilities, and transportation networks to aid the farming community would go a long way to helping farmers. It restated its stand on the harmful realities of tobacco cultivation which involves the use of pesticides that are harmful to tobacco growers, to the cutting and burning of trees for tobacco curing which leads to deforestation (about 3.5 million hectares of land are destroyed each year).

Also, CAPPA’s director of programmes, Mr. Philip Jakpor, emphasized that World No Tobacco Day “ is commemorated to raise awareness about the harms caused by tobacco products to people, public health, communities, the environment, and as recent evidence has shown, to the climate.”

He added that “The commemoration draws attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to its negative health effects, which currently lead to more than eight million deaths each year worldwide, including 1.2 million as the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.”

He said the WHO is raising awareness about the ways the tobacco industry interferes with attempts to substitute tobacco growing with sustainable crops, thereby contributing to the existing global food crisis.

He observed that “For us at CAPPA, the theme (We need Food, Not Tobacco) aligns with our conviction, which is supported by science, that tobacco cultivation processes from clearing of large tracts of land, cutting of trees for tobacco curing, and cigarette manufacturing, also contribute to the climate crisis and ultimately, threaten food security.”

He, therefore called on government to accelerate the implementation of Articles 17 and 18 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) and its guidelines that outline how farmers can be supported from tobacco growing to sustainable alternative crops.

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