A range of lifesaving policies for public health have been adopted at the just ended five-day meeting of the Sixth Conference of Parties in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday.

The Conference of Parties are countries that have adopted the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

The policies were arrived at with participants objecting the infiltration of the Tobacco industry and its affiliates at their meetings, a press release forwarded to the Ghana New Agency said.

The release was forwarded by Mr Labram Musah, Director of Programmes of the Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), a Ghanaian civil society that attended the conference.

A resolution passed by the conference demanded that the interests of public health be prioritised in the context of trade negotiations as the tobacco industry attempted to use trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership to undermine tobacco control laws.

They were on consensus that work proceeds in developing international standards for holding the tobacco industry civilly and criminally liable for the health crisis it is driving.

The conference urged for the adoption of principles for regulating electronic cigarettes (e-Cigs) globally in line with tobacco products.

Mr Musah said: “Tobacco industry interference continues to be the greatest impediment to the treaty’s progress, but the global community made strides in clearing the impediment and getting the task of saving lives by objecting to Big Tobacco involvement in the meetings.”

Mr Musah said the decision on electronic cigarettes was among its most eagerly anticipated.

“Currently, many nations where e-cigarettes are becoming popular have little to no regulation – allowing e-cigarettes corporations, increasingly owned by Big Tobacco, to use flavouring and marketing that appeals to kids,” he said.

Mr Musah said countries had been urged to regulate the devices and all forms of marketing in line with the recommendations of FCTC.

“An increasing number of countries, including Panama, Singapore and most recently India, have already banned e-cigarettes,” he said.