Background: Background and context: Senegal
achieved significant legislative advances with the adoption of a Tobacco Control
(TC) Act in 1981. However, since 1985, increasingly powerful industry lobbying
resulted in important aspects of the Act being made less effective or reversed.
In 2004 Senegal ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
(FCTC), but once again tobacco industry interference delayed preparation of a draft
bill implementing the provisions of the FCTC until 2011.
Methods: Aim: To use civil
society advocacy to catalyze a public health movement and reduce prevalence of tobacco
use through adoption and implementation of new FCTC-compliant legislation in
Senegal.
Results: Strategy / tactics: LISTAB
(civil society) conducted a program of advocacy activities in parallel to the
three year legislative development process, from initial drafting by Ministry
of Health, through parliamentary amendment and approval, and finally
promulgation by the President.
Programme / Policy process: Our activities included:
- Setting
up a watchdog body called Tobacco Industry Monitoring Team
- Sensitizing
and training decision makers, politicians and journalists on the FCTC,
particularly Article 5.3
- Lobbying
religious leaders and Members of Parliament, and identifying among them TC
champions
- Running a national media campaign to gain
exposure for TC issues and counter tobacco industry interference
Conclusions: Outcomes / What was learned: In March
2014, the TC bill was approved by the Senegalese parliament and promulgated by the
President. In supporting this achievement, the work conducted by LISTAB highlights
the importance of:
Capacity
building of tobacco control actors in both FCTC content and advocacy techniques hence the creation of the national tobacco control program in Senegal.