MERCEDES VÁZQUEZ

THE FIRST WOMAN TO RUN AN INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TOBACCO GROWERS’

CIGARRO DOMINICANO: How and when did Mercedes Vásquez start to work for the benefit of the tobacco sector?

MERCEDES VÁZQUEZ: In 2010, I met António Abrunhosa who was the ITGA’s CEO at the time. He proposed I run part of the campaign ITGA was developing for the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the WHO taking place in Uruguay. For the campaign (the first ITGA global initiative) tobacco farmers’ signa- tures were being collected worldwide and my job was to monitor the process. I communicated with ITGA associations around the world, asked about the roll out in each place of the signature collection and built my own record. Also, I tried to make sure our members understood that we were there to help. The coordination was great and the outcome too. 138,000 signatures were collected worldwide and handed to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Secretariat in Uruguay as a way of protest the measures that the FCTC was trying to push forward at the COP4 which were unfeasible at tobacco growing implementation level. After that, ITGA was happy with my contribution, and I was proposed to carry on with my work as a Public Relations officer. I undertook the work related with the different platforms, communication, and campaign development. The World Tobacco Growers’ Day, now celebrated worldwide on October 28th, is the one that brings me most joy because I created it as a way of thanking the millions of tobacco growers’ and paying tribute to their positive contribution to local communities.

CD: What does it mean to be the CEO of the International Tobacco Growers’ Association (ITGA)? And how would you describe your experience working with this association?

MV: From the beginning I have endorsed my job with great enthusiasm. Building my relationship with the growers and being able to meet them personally has been an enormous privilege. The trust we have in each other is the result of twelve years working with my members in an environment of mutual understanding and respect. When in 2021 I was appointed the ITGA new CEO it meant that my members supported me to represent them. This carries a big responsibility given the different nature of the associations worldwide and the increasing number of challenges the sector is facing. Having my members backing me up is the most powerful tool to drive this worldwide association forward.

CD: You are the first woman to run this association, what do this mean for you and how have you been received by the ITGA members?

MV: I feel respected and supported. Being the first woman to run the ITGA did not come by chance. I was not taken from the shelf and my appointment came out of the total agreement among members. There is an easiness to develop my duties due to this relationship we have built throughout the years.

CD: Last year, ITGA also made a magazine where women who grow tobacco in different countries were interviewed. How do you think this experience turn out for ITGA, for you, and what did you learn from these women?

MV: Women in the sector are a top priority in my agenda. Although they are in a shadow position where their contribution is hidden or not taken into consideration, when visiting tobacco growing areas, it becomes obvious that in most cases they are the backbone of this business. Even if they are not directly involved in the crop process, which in many cases they are, business can only be profitable thanks to the stability women bring to the household. I see a considerable number of initiatives trying to empower women, but I cannot see how this translate into real facts making the difference for them. Women deserve a better position. They need to air their claims and raise their voices. I’ll do all I can to help them have exposure.

CD: As we heard at the last ITGA Annual General Meeting, one of the biggest challenges tobacco growers’ faces is international regulations, which has reduced cultivation in many countries. Which actions is ITGA implementing to stop this situation?

MV: ITGA has been monitoring major threats in regulation for many years. The World Health Organization Framework Convention in Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is the one global common challenge we need to address with a holistic approach. This treaty started to control tobacco consumption and nowadays is trying to align its strategy with UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), Climate Change etc... by blaming tobacco for all the negative impact our humankind is suffering in social and environmental issues. They learnt how profitable it is to attack tobacco without considering the effects in dependent tobacco communities. They insist they care for growers, however, in more than fifteen years of this treaty, there is not one single evidence of this support. This year the WHO FCTC is holding its bi-annual conference of the parties (COP10) and ITGA members will put pressure demanding viable solutions and the results of fifteen years of article 17 of the treaty (economically sustainable alternative to tobacco growers). The answer is quite easy: there are no results to be shared because nothing has been done about the only article that could have provided some hope for growers.

CD: What things would you like to see change for women who grow tobacco in the years to come?

MV: I would like to see women coming up to the top where decisions are made. I would like governments to recognize their crucial role and a change in the paradigms. I would like more men promoting these values. Who knows, an International Women Tobacco Growers’ Association? if that is what it takes.