BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the world’s leading cause of death and disease, with tobacco a shared risk factor for the five major NCDs. Laws for NCD prevention, including tobacco control laws, are cost-effective ways to prevent NCDs. Yet law remains an underused tool globally and legal expertise one of the key needs identified by WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) parties.
INTERVENTION OR RESPONSE: To address this gap, in 2014, the McCabe Centre for Law & Cancer launched its International Legal Training Programme (ILTP), which aims to raise the capacity of government lawyers from low- and middle-income countries to use the law to address noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) including by implementing the WHO FCTC and countering legal challenges to tobacco control laws. The course consisted of in-person (2014-2019) / online (2020-2023) training followed by practical implementation by participants through a “priority project”.
RESULTS AND IMPACT: From 2014-2023, the ILTP ran 13 times and trained 450 participants from 97 countries and territories. Participants rated the ILTP highly in evaluation surveys and reported large increases in confidence/knowledge in using law for NCD prevention and control. Follow up of participants’ priority projects showed they contributed to NCD law and policy change in a documented 30 countries, the successful defence of legal challenges to tobacco control laws in five countries, and the initiation of a legal challenge against the tobacco industry to recover health care costs in one country.
CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of the ILTP reveals that building the capacity of government lawyers can be effective in driving legal and policy change to better prevent and control NCDs globally, including by advancing tobacco control laws. Legal capacity building programs such as the ILTP are essential for addressing NCDs and reducing the burden of tobacco-related deaths.