For immediate release
15 March 2023
Geneva, Switzerland – The International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organisations (INNCO) wishes to announce that, effective from March 14, 2023, it is no longer funded by the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW). This important loss of funding does not hamper our abilities to continue to support our members and fulfil our mission as an organisation.
“We are grateful for the support we have received from FSFW. We are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead of us and remain committed to our mission of promoting harm reduction and improving public health.” said Rob de Lange, President of INNCO.
Since it was established in 2016, INNCO has been dedicated to empowering consumers of low-risk alternative nicotine products, through its member organisations, to ensure their active engagement in the pursuit of harm reduction strategies for people who use nicotine worldwide. In 2018 INNCO was accredited to the United Nations (UN) High Level Meetings on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The efforts of our 35 consumer organisations across the globe have resulted in INNCO being the only legitimate global stake-holder organisation pursuing the recognition of a harm reduction approach for people who use nicotine.
We are a global community of people who use safer nicotine products (SNPs) and hundreds of thousands of consumers affiliated with our member organisations who are passionate in our belief in enabling people who smoke to have affordable access to SNPs and accurate scientific information on their use. As such, we will continue with some of our established strategies and innovate to find ways to defend the rights of over 115 million consumers of safer nicotine products and provide accurate information to the 1.3 billion people who are currently using toxic tobacco products.
Mr de Lange emphasised that INNCO will continue to work closely with other organisations and individuals who share its commitment to harm reduction. “We are part of a broader movement of people who recognise the potential of alternative nicotine products to reduce the harms of smoking,” he said. “We look forward to working with our partners around the world to continue advancing this important cause.”
With the FCTC COP10 being held in Panama in November 2023, the reform of the EU’s tobacco products directive, and various regional and national regulatory threats to alternative nicotine products around the globe, we are currently investigating all options to continue with our plans in this critical year for harm reduction. We are also supporting the people we represent by exploring alternative sources of funding and partnering with other organisations to make the strongest impact possible.
We remain committed to serving our members and will do everything in our power to ensure that our activities in this regard continue uninterrupted. INNCO is determined to continue to engage in global discussions centred on fair regulation and public information regarding safer nicotine products. Nothing about us – without us! For more information about INNCO and its work, please visit the organisation’s website at www.innco.org. Or contact us directly via info@innco.org