South East Asian Region

Background The South East Asian Region (SEAR) includes eleven countries and hosts more than a quarter of the world’s population.1 The region includes one of the largest countries (India), and one of the smallest (Maldives).23 The full list of countries included in SEAR are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea), India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar,…

The Japan Foundation describes itself as “Japan’s only institution dedicated to carrying out comprehensive international cultural exchange programs throughout the world”.106 Much like Germany’s Goethe-Institut and the French Institut Francais, the Foundation supports arts and cultural exchanges as well as Japanese language teaching and studies as part of cultural soft diplomacy. It has well-established financial links with a number…

Background Kekst CNC is a global public relations firm which has long worked with tobacco companies, in particular Philip Morris and Philip Morris International (PMI), advising them on corporate takeovers and regulatory battles. Organisation The company was founded in 1971 by Gershon Kekst who had previously been with Ruder Finn – another company with long tobacco links.

Guenther Oettinger is a German former member of the European Commission (2014-2019).136 In November 2020, Oettinger started working for communication consultancy Kekst CNC137, which lists Phillip Morris International as one of its clients.138 Oettinger’s case is an example of the Revolving Door tactic. In February 2021 the European Ombudsman opened a case regarding Oettinger’s…

Background PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is a multinational network of firms providing professional services including assurance, tax, advisory, consulting and legal services. Along with KPMG, Ernst & Young (EY) and Deloitte, it is one of the so-called “Big Four” accountancy giants. It was created in 1998, when Coopers & Lybrand merged with Price Waterhouse. In 2019 PwC employed…

Background The four global accounting firms, Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Ernst & Young (EY) and KPMG – collectively known as the “Big Four” – are multinational networks of professional services firms. In 2019, they audited all of the companies in the FTSE 100.172 The majority of their revenue, however, comes from other services, such as tax…

Background The Industry Transformation Coalition (TITC) is a corporate Public Relations organisation, led by Executive Director Bruce Degn, that hosts events, publishes reports, and engages policymakers on behalf of its members.220 On its website, TITC claims to represent industries that can help “transform” society, and says the Coalition “believes we should be a catalyst for good—and we can do…

As the harms from conventional products have become better understood, and tobacco control measures have been put in place, the cigarette market – from which tobacco companies make most of their profits – has started to shrink. To secure the industry’s longer-term future, transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) have invested in, developed and marketed various newer nicotine and tobacco…

There have been multiple instances of lobbying by ambassadors and other diplomats from high income countries on behalf of large transnational tobacco companies. Much of this lobbying activity has taken place in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).383 The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) was adopted in 2003, and set out a clear…

Background The population of DRC in July 2020 was estimated to be 101.8 million.396 The World Bank classifies the DRC as a low-income country.397 Tobacco Use in DRC The Demographic and Health Survey, 2014 reported a current tobacco use prevalence of 26.5% male (15-59 years) and 4.1% female (15-49 years). The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (Kinshasa), 2008 (ages…