The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: The Sudanese Cancer Society (SCS) and as part of its project with the WHO to support the FCTC in Sudan aimed to involve all tobacco control bodies and the media to form a network that works jointly to encourage the government to adopt the FCTC. This effort was made to harmonize the work of the many tobacco control bodies locally.

Methods: 1. The SCS met all the governmental and non-governmental bodies working in tobacco control to discuss how tobacco control efforts can be unified. 2. An informative workshop about the FCTC was organized by the SCS. 3. Press conference informing about the importance of the FCTC and asking the government to sign and ratify the global treaty.

Results:

1. Formation of a national tobacco activists committee that included beside the SCS: the WHO, the Health Promotion Department in the Federal Ministry of Health, the Sudanese Tobacco-free Initiative, the Toombak & Smoking Research Center (NGO), the National Committee to Inform about Tobacco Hazards (NGO). 2. The committee met Mr. Vice President, the Federal Minister of Health (FMH), Minister of Foreign Affairs, parliament members and others. 3. SCS organized the biggest ever WNTD celebration in 2004 in collaboration with the other tobacco control bodies, in which the FMH promised that the government would sign the FCTC. 4. Sudan signed and ratified the FCTC. Conclusion: Networking is an important mean of success. When the separate efforts of various tobacco control bodies are united great and more difficult goals can be achieved.