Origins of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Allyn L. Taylor, University of Maryland School of Law
Ruth Roemer
Jean Lariviere

Document Type: Article

Published in American Journal of Public Health, v. 95, no. 6, June 2005, p. 936-938. Abstract only available.

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control originated in 1993 with a decision by Ruth Roemer and Allyn Taylor to apply to tobacco control Taylor’s idea that the WHO should utilize its constitutional authority to develop international conventions to advance global health. In 1995, Taylor and Ruth Roemer proposed various options to WHO, recommending the framework convention-protocol approach conceptualized by Taylor.

Despite initial resistance by some WHO officials, this approach gained wide acceptance. In 1996, the World Health Assembly voted to proceed with its development. Negotiations by WHO member states led the World Health Assembly in May 2003 to adopt by consensus the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control—the first international treaty adopted under WHO auspices. The treaty formally entered into force for state parties on February 27, 2005.

Keywords:

World Health Organization, tobacco control

Recommended Citation

Taylor, Allyn L.; Roemer, Ruth; and Lariviere, Jean, "Origins of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control" (2005). All Faculty Publications. Paper 27.
http://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/fac_pubs/27