Konstantin Krasovsky
2003 International Policy Fellow
2003 Fellowship Topic Area: Public Health Policy:
Tobacco Economics Research and Advocacy
2003 Fellowship Project Title: Establishing a mechanism
for tobacco control advocacy
Research Proposal
If compare with other FSU countries Ukraine is rather advanced country in
terms of tobacco control: 1) the Governmental Tobacco Control Board exists
since 1997; 2) the NGO Coalition for Tobacco Free Ukraine unites more than
40 organizations; 3) research on economics of tobacco was conduced with the
World Bank support. However all tobacco control policy in Ukraine is rather
weak: 1) there is no special tobacco control law; 2) tobacco taxes are stable
during last 3 years; 3) tobacco advertising is only partly restricted.
The main reason behind such situation seems to be lack of advocacy efforts
and skills of tobacco control advocates.
The main project objective is to establish mechanism of tobacco control advocacy,
which enable to counter tobacco industry lobbying tactics and support tobacco
control initiatives in changing socio-political environment of Ukraine.
The project plan includes activities on following directions:
1. Monitoring tobacco industry's misinformation and lobbying tactics
by media monitoring and other sources.
Goals:
- reveal this misinformation and present it in clear way to make public
opinion more favorable to tobacco control;
- organize counter actions with proper media coverage, press-releases;
- reveal hidden tobacco industry allies and present proves of their
relationships with tobacco industry to key decision makers and general public.
Activities:
a) Monitoring business journals and key newspapers in Ukraine for tobacco
industry activities as well as tobacco control activities.
b) Monitoring tobacco industry internal documents in international depositaries.
c) Monitoring tobacco industry publications concerning Ukraine in international
media.
2. Conducting country applied research in tobacco control legislation
and economics and presenting their results in brief and clear publications
for decision makers
Goals:
- get support of members of parliament to comprehensive tobacco control
legislation;
- provide information for governmental officials who are responsible
for tobacco control enforcement and preparing sub-legislative acts;
- provide information to the media in case of public debate on tobacco
control initiatives.
Activities:
a) Prepare and publish report on legislative regulation of tobacco advertising
in Ukraine.
b) Prepare and publish short and simple politically oriented booklets on
tobacco economics based on the World Bank research of 2001-2002 and new research
on: tobacco taxes; smuggling; agriculture.
c) Prepare critical report on tobacco control advocacy activities in Ukraine
in 1996-2002.
3. Strengthening tobacco control non-governmental organization movement
Goals:
- Involve more committed persons into tobacco control advocacy;
- Make public health voice stronger;
- Ensure enforcement of existent tobacco control legislation.
Activities:
a) Issuing bi-monthly newsletter for NGOs;
b) Developing web-site of the NGO Coalition For Tobacco-Free Ukraine;
c) Trainings of NGO members in advocacy skills.
d) Involving NGO members into counter-tobacco industry and other actions.
4. Tobacco control political mapping
Goals:
- Encourage the supporters and help them coordinate their activities;
- Try to persuade some opponents and neutrals to support tobacco control
initiatives;
- Reveal connections of opponents with tobacco industry and publicly
blame them as "public health enemies"/
Activities:
a) Identifying possible ways to push and stop tobacco control legislation
to find promising entry points to the policy making process;
b) Identifying tobacco control supporters and opponents among: members of
the parliament; staff of the parliament; governmental officials; media; NGO
movement to:
c) Identifying key political figures, who could take responsibility for long-term
tobacco control strategy.
The project results will be:
1. Drafts of tobacco control legislative acts based on public health values
with justifications of all critical points. These drafts will be used for
real legislative acts.
2. Map of main political structures and figures in tobacco control in Ukraine
with suggestions how to use strong features of allies and neutralize opponents.
3. More favorable attitude of media to tobacco control initiatives according
to media monitoring.
4. Report on tobacco industry role in counteracting public health in Ukraine.
The project results could be used in Ukraine:
1) to support adoption of several legislative acts:
a. Law on Advertising with ban of tobacco advertising;
b. Tobacco Excise Law changes with substantial increase of tobacco excise
taxes;
c. Tobacco Control Law with comprehensive provisions like big health warnings,
protection of non-smokers rights, ban such terms as "light cigarettes", allocation
of state budget money for tobacco control activities, etc.
2) to ensure enforcement of adopted acts;
3) to change current tobacco industry public image to such one which reveal
its true nature:
a. to secure developed legislation from tobacco industry amendments;
b. to make decision makers afraid of tobacco industry funding;
c. to ensure long-term tobacco control strategy.
The project results could be used in other countries of the regions:
1) to show examples of tobacco control legislation and enforcement;
2) to provide information and skills based on real experience of:
a. coalition building;
b. political mapping;
c. advocacy tactics;
d. tobacco industry counteractions.
3) to provide examples of country specific applied research for tobacco control.
Summary
The main project objective is to establish mechanism of tobacco control advocacy,
which enable to counter tobacco industry lobbying tactics and support tobacco
control initiatives in changing socio-political environment of Ukraine. The
project includes activities on following directions: 1)Monitoring tobacco
industry's misinformation and lobbying tactics; 2)Conducting country applied
research in tobacco control legislation and economics; 3)strengthening tobacco
control non-governmental organization movement; 4)Tobacco control political
mapping.