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SAVING THE WORLD FROM BIG TOBACCO:
THE REAL COALITION OF THE WILLING
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Judith P. Wilkenfeld
Director, International Programs
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Member of the Board
Framework Convention Alliance
It has been hypothesized that nongovernmental actors tend
to gain more prominence in policy areas where there has
been significant state failure. …This does ring true for a
variety of endeavors, such as the pursuit of private
economic interest, the protection of the environment, and
the protection of individual and group rights. A broad
array of nongovernmental actors work in the international
arena, performing a variety of functions. Some are stand-
ins for states; others work to influence the diplomatic
agendas of states.
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Global diplomatic actors- whether individual scientists or
activists, or vast networks of NGOs- represent a new force
in the international negotiation arena. Their ability to
mobilize public opinion and political action is
unprecedented and closely tied to the information
revolution of the late twentieth century.
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This case study is a story in two parts. One is the story of the negotiations leading to the
adoption of the first-ever public health treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco
Control (FCTC). The other is the story of the birth and growth of a new international
non-governmental network of advocates. These two parts led to an unprecedented and
effective alliance of non-governmental actors and states that felt victimized by U.S.
pressure. The issue was not national security, nor disarmament nor world peace, but
public health and the opportunity to help forestall or mitigate the coming health pandemic
of the next 50 years. The success of the alliance between civil society and the countries
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Thanks must be given to Mike Pertschuk co founder of the Advocacy Institute and guru to all tobacco
NGOs around the world. He helped our coalition with strategy, organization and wisdom and helped us
realize our dream. Many of the thoughts and words in this article are his.
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Starkey B, Boyer M, Wilkenfeld J; Negotiating a Complex World, An Introduction to International
Negotiation, (New York: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 1999), p 61
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Starkey, et.al. p. 62.
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