Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Hearing: Tobacco Addiction and the Right to Health

WASHINGTON (March 24, 2016) – For the first time, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights takes up tobacco use as a human rights issue during a hearing on Tuesday, April 5, 2016.

The tobacco epidemic has become one of the world’s -and the Americas’- gravest public health concerns. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one million people in the Americas die each year from tobacco use, while hundreds of millions more are at risk of tobacco-related diseases. Tobacco companies throughout the region continue to aggressively market cigarettes and interfere in tobacco control measures. The O’Neill Institute, ASH, and FIC Argentina will present to the commission about the harms of tobacco, industry interference, and the impact of tobacco marketing on targeted and vulnerable groups. The three organizations will recommend that the commission consider tobacco control as an important measure in pursuit of the highest attainable standard of health.

WHAT:

Hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights: tobacco and the right to health in the Americas

WHO:

• Oscar A. Cabrera, The O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University, Washington DC
• Chris Bostic, ASH > Action on Smoking and Health, Washington, DC
• Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy, ASH > Action on Smoking and Health, Washington, DC
• Veronica Schoj, Fundacion Interamericana del Corazon Argentina
• Belen Rios, Fundacion Interamericana del Corazon Argentina

WHEN:

Tuesday, April 5, 2016; 10:15 – 11:15 am

Interviews can be scheduled with the experts before and after the hearing.

WHERE:

GSB Building of the Organization of American States (OAS)

Padilha Vidal Room

1889 F. Street, NW

Washington, DC 20006

MEDIA:

Media pre-registration is not necessary, but members of the press will be required to register prior to entering the OAS building.

LIVE STREAMING:

This hearing is scheduled to be broadcast live via the IACHR website.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

@ONeillInstitute

@ASHorg

@FICargentina

@IACHRpress

WRITTEN TESTIMONY:

Written testimony from all participants will be posted April 5 at the following links:

O’Neill Institute/Cabrera

ASH/Bostic and Romeo-Stuppy

FIC/Schoj and Rios

Contact:

O’Neill Institute: Karen Teber / km463@georgetown.edu

ASH: Megan Arendt / ArendtM@ash.org

FIC Argentina: Patricia Gutkowski/ prensa@ficargentina.org