Access denied to COP 11 generates reaction from Brazilian delegation

The restriction of access to COP 11 has provoked intense reaction within and outside the delegations attending the meeting in Geneva. Since the beginning of the discussions, Brazilian representatives formed by parliamentarians, mayors, entities of the tobacco production sector, state authorities, and the press were barred by the Convention Secretariat, which applied Article 5.3 of the FCTC to the veto. The measure, adopted on the first day of the event organized by the World Health Organization, affected even parliamentarians and press professionals, generating notes of repudiation published in the South of the country. Members of the delegation claim that the decision violates the right to transparency and public participation provided for in the San José Accord of Costa Rica. In the face of the exclusion, the Permanent Commission of Brazil at the UN began to mediate meetings with the group. Two meetings occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday, conducted by Ambassador Tovar Nunes, and ...