Ruth Mabry & Jawad A. Al-Lawati
The 2026 World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) theme requires stronger insurance policies to guard youth and targets the advertising of e-cigarettes and related merchandise as revolutionary or much less dangerous aimed toward attracting new customers, notably younger individuals. With stricter bans on tobacco promoting, the tobacco {industry} reverts to company social duty (CSR) as their fundamental tactic to shine their public picture and undermine tobacco management. By associating with optimistic causes like training, well being and social welfare, the tobacco {industry} goals to maximise earnings with devastating well being penalties. A research of tobacco {industry} social media posts discovered that one in 5 have been about CSR and the supposed optimistic affect they’ve on society and the atmosphere.
That is all very related in Oman. E-Cigarettes and related merchandise have been banned in Oman in 2015 (see right here and right here); and penalties for his or her possession have been tightened in 2023. Smoking prevalence in Oman, an Arab nation with a inhabitants of lower than 5 million, is low, estimated at 8.5% in 2022 in comparison with the typical of 18.0% within the Japanese Mediterranean Area. Nevertheless, the nation is one among three within the area liable to a rise in tobacco use, particularly in males (Determine 1). Moreover, the International Youth Tobacco Survey 2016 discovered that 6.3% of adolescents aged 13 to fifteen years in Oman used tobacco; 5.3% at the moment used digital cigarettes; nevertheless, greater than 4 in 10 had ever used e-cigarettes. Though the latest nationally obtainable information on youth tobacco use are over a decade outdated, worldwide and regional tendencies point out rising uptake amongst younger individuals. On this context, Oman initiated a nationwide, year-long tobacco management marketing campaign focusing on youth in January 2025.
Oman ranked 14th amongst 100 nations within the International Tobacco Trade Affect Index 2025 indicating a low total stage of {industry} interference. Nevertheless, tobacco {industry} CSR actions symbolize a big hole in Oman’s implementation of Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC, which goals to guard public well being insurance policies from tobacco {industry} affect. CSR initiatives may also help the tobacco {industry} construct relationships and enhance its public picture, thereby facilitating affect over coverage processes.
Along with CSR actions, the tobacco {industry} in Oman has engaged in direct coverage interference, together with efforts to forestall will increase in tobacco taxation, undermine smoke-free insurance policies and promoting bans, delay laws on tobacco product contents, and impede the implementation of efficient well being warnings, together with requests to postpone the adoption of plain packaging. Distributors for British American Tobacco (BAT) and Phillip Morris Worldwide (PMI), who dominate Oman’s tobacco market, have engaged in intensive CSR actions domestically and promoted these on social media. Publicly obtainable posts present tobacco {industry} involvement in actions linked to training, well being, sports activities, and group improvement. Examples of those actions are illustrated under in Figures 2-4.
Determine 2. A charity occasion for households in a neighborhood park.
Determine 3. Celebration of winners of a pupil CSR competitors.
Determine 4. Donation of beds to a medical establishment.
Determine 5. Signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with authorities officers for the STEMA Zone Heart
Moreover, practically one in ten tobacco industry-organized CSR occasions concerned ministers and different high-ranking authorities officers in Oman, offering public endorsement of tobacco {industry} actions. It additionally allows entry to and dialogue with policymakers, and alternatives for agenda setting in favour of the tobacco {industry}, although it stays unclear whether or not coverage points have been mentioned throughout these encounters. Not solely have the tobacco {industry} been acknowledged for these efforts (see right here and right here) however the official registration of PMI’s CSR arm as an NGO exhibits how tobacco {industry} CSR have turn into normalized within the nation.
The results of those actions, are profound, threatening public well being and perpetuating the tobacco epidemic. Whereas Oman has banned tobacco promoting and promotion by means of ministerial choices (right here, right here and right here), the laws don’t comprehensively ban sponsorships. CSR contributions fall beneath Articles 5.3 and 13 of the WHO FCTC ratified by Oman in 2005, and ought to be prohibited as a part of a complete ban on tobacco promoting, promotion and sponsorship. By closing this loophole Oman can safeguard its tobacco management insurance policies from manipulation and be certain that public well being takes priority over company pursuits.
Authors:
Ruth Mabry, International Well being Marketing consultant, Muscat, Oman.
Jawad A. Al-Lawati, Division of Well being Promotion, Ministry of Well being, Oman.
Acknowledgements: The authors want to thank Stella A. Bialous, Heart for Tobacco Management, College of California, Talal A. Al Enazi, King Abdulaziz Medical Metropolis, Juanita Albert and Jokha Y. Al-Rashdi, Directorate Basic of Major Well being Care, Ministry of Well being, Oman.
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