The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

I

Objective: This paper is to describe the chronology and share the experience of Malaysia's involvement in the FCTC process as well as domestic action applied until ratification of the Convention.

Methods: Malaysia's first involvement in the FCTC process was in March 2000 at the Second Working Group Meeting. Malaysian delegations from then on attended and participated actively in all 6 sessions of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB). Prior to every INB sessions, there were at least 1 if not 2 local levels Interagency Consultative Meetings coordinated by the Ministry of Health. These meetings discussed the drafts of the FCTC Chair's Text with officers from all relevant Government agencies to reach agreed national positions.

Malaysia hosted the 1st Association of South-East Asian Nation (ASEAN) Inter-Sessional Meeting (ISM) of the FCTC prior to the 4th session of the INB. At this ASEAN-ISM1, 10 member countries of ASEAN i.e Cambodia, Brunei, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, came to consensus on numerous issues of the INB3 Chair's Text. Subsequently ASEAN-ISM2 and ASEAN-ISM3 were respectively hosted by Thailand and Philippines before INB5 and INB6 were convened.

Results: Malaysia became the 63rd country to sign the FCTC on 23rd September 2003 and then ratified the Convention 2 years later on 16 September 2005. A national secretariat was also established in 2004 to ensure that provisions in all the articles of the FCTC are closely adhered to.