GENEVA – The governing body of the International Labor Organization, which has taken millions of dollars in funding from Big Tobacco, has shelved a decision about whether to cut ties with the industry.
The ILO body voted Wednesday to delay until November a decision about whether to join other U.N. agencies that have pledged to fight tobacco-industry influence in policymaking.
The Geneva-based body is trying to calibrate its mandate to help ensure proper working conditions, particularly in an industry linked to child labor, amid a broader U.N. fight against the harmful health effects of tobacco use.
ILO has received over $15 million through two partnerships that aim to fight child labor in the industry with Japan Tobacco International and nonprofit group linked to some of the world’s biggest tobacco companies.