The Human Rights approach to Front-of-package Warning Labeling in the Caribbean

On Monday, 9 November, 2020, join us on the webinar "The Human Rights approach to Front-of-package Warning Labeling in the Caribbean" for a conversation over the main issues addressed in the statement on the adoption of front-of-package warning labeling to tackle NCDs, issued by the the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health (UN SRRH). The webinar will discuss in particular its relevance for the Caribbean, given the ongoing regional process to develop a CARICOM FOPL Standard.

Panelists will reflect on how the statement can be used to support efforts towards the design, adoption and implementation of front-of-package warning labeling regulations. Panelists will also discuss the relevance of the statement’s references to industry interference and the obligation to regulate corporations.

How to participate

• DATE: Monday, 9 November, 2020
• TIME: 10:00 am - 11:30 am (Barbados time) or 09.00-10.30 am (EST) [see time correspondence below]
• REGISTER:  https://paho-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5TS0YmcUSO-ne5KQhEmC3g

       (You will then be sent a link to the Zoom to use on the day of the workshop)

Background

On July 27, 2020, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health (UN SRRH) released a statement on the adoption of front-of-package warning labeling to tackle NCDs, which was endorsed by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food and the UN Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.

The Statement identifies noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) as “one of the major challenges of the twenty-first century” highly rooted on overweight, obesity and unhealthy diets, and urges States to “proactively and comprehensively address the diet-related NCDs preventable risk factors”. In particular, it identifies front-of-package warning labeling as “rights-compliant” and “a key component of a comprehensive strategy to promote healthier lives”.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health further commends States’ efforts to adopt front-of-package warning labeling to foster healthier lives, while expressing his grave concern about food and beverage industries’ tactics to hamper these efforts. To conclude, acknowledging their role in the global obesity and NCDs epidemic, the UN SRRH call on States “to regulate the activities of the food and beverage industries” and “counter undue influence of corporations on government decision-making processes” to “safeguard the policies that protect the right to health, such as the front-of-package warning labeling”.

Related resources

• United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. Statement by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health on the adoption of front-of-package warning labelling to tackle NCDs.
• Pan American Health Organization. Front-of-package labeling as a policy tool for the prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases in the Americas.

Agenda

• 10.00-10.10 am. Welcome and opening remarks 
  • Didier Trebucq. United Nations Resident Coordinator Barbados and the OECS.
  • Douglas Slater. Assistant Secretary-General. CARICOM Directorate for Human and Social Development. 
  • Jessie Schutt-Aine. Subregional Program Coordinator, Caribbean Subregional Program Coordination, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
• 10.10-10.20 am. The role of the UN Special Rapporteur and the importance of the “Statement by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health on the adoption of front-of-package labelling to tackle NCDs”
  • Anand Grover, Former Special Rapporteur on the Right of Everyone to the Enjoyment of the Highest Attainable Standard of Psychical and Mental Health.
• 10.20-11.05 am. A conversation about the Statement and its implications for the Caribbean: Panelists will discuss key aspects of the Statement, including human rights obligations on unhealthy diets, the role of evidence free from conflicts of interests in policymaking, key characteristics of front-of-package warning labeling, the role of the industry, and FOPL as part of a comprehensive strategy to address overweight and obesity.
  • Chair: Sir George A.O. Alleyne, PAHO Director Emeritus.
  • Alejandro Morlachetti, Legal Advisor, Human Rights, Office of Legal Counsel, PAHO.
  • Nicole Foster, Dep Dean, Academic & Student Affairs, Faculty of Law, UWI Cave Hill Campus.
  • David Hammond. Professor & CIHR/PHAC Chair in Applied Public Health School of Public Health & Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Canada.
  • Maisha Hutton, Executive Director, Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC).
  • Oscar A. Cabrera, Director, O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law
  • Joy St John, Executive Director, Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
• 11.05-11.25 am. Open discussion, questions and answers 
• 11.25-11.30 am. Conclusions and closing remarks Sir George A.O. Alleyne, PAHO Director Emeritus.

Related resources

• United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. Statement by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health on the adoption of front-of-package warning labelling to tackle NCDs.
• Pan American Health Organization. Front-of-package labeling as a policy tool for the prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases in the Americas.