Passing FCTC compliant tobacco control legislation amid conspicuous industry interference: the case of Senegal

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. 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. Strategy / tactics LISTAB 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 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 to create a sustainable movement for policy change Engagement with MPs at all stages of policy design and implementation to create a favorable political environment for adoption of the bill in Parliament and countering industry interference Integrating media coverage to enhance outreach and help raise the profile of education campaigns, accelerating public understanding and galvanizing support for policy change