Governance Structure

TobLabNet has a Steering Committee comprised of principal collaborators that coordinate the work of TobLabNet and provide oversight of major network activities. This group is responsible for developing and implementing protocols, designs, and operations and is composed of representatives of the founding organizations, the chairs of the different committees and representatives of developing countries and independent labs. The Executive Committee of the Steering Committee consisting of the chair, vice-chair, liaison with TobReg, TFI Program Director (or designated focal point), and Secretariat meets on a regular basis and provides broad leadership direction for the overall organization. One of the TobLabNet committees is the Research Advisory Committee, which liaises with the WHO TobReg to ensure that the work is synchronized and synergistic with WHO's global tobacco control programme in general and with WHO's tobacco product regulation work in particular.

Definitions

• A member of the Network collaborates, as appropriate and according to their capacity, in cooperative programs supported by the Network at the country, inter-country, regional, inter regional and global levels.
• Members also contribute to increasing technical and scientific cooperation with and among countries by providing them with information and advice, and by stimulating and supporting research and training.
• Testing members must meet specific technical requirements and may participate in network activities intended to expand global testing capacity, capability and coordination.
• Research members are not required to meet technical capability requirements.
• “Tobacco products” means products entirely or partly made of the leaf tobacco as raw material which are manufactured to be used for smoking, sucking, chewing or snuffing.
• "Tobacco industry" means tobacco manufacturers, wholesale distributors and importers of tobacco products, including tobacco growers, associations or other entities, as well as industry lobbyists.

Designation

The criteria to be applied in the selection of laboratories for designation as a TobLabNet collaborator are as follows:

• the place the institution occupies in the country's health, scientific or educational structures;
• evidence of work in conjunction with the tobacco control community active within that country or geographic region;
• not be unduly influenced by relationships with organizations or entities with a significant financial stake in the outcome of the measurements;
• the quality of its scientific and technical leadership, and the number and qualifications of its staff;
• the institution's ability, capacity and readiness to contribute, individually and within networks, to TobLabNet program activities;
• experience with tobacco product testing or research or demonstrable intent to obtain capacity for tobacco product testing or research, e.g., commitment to train personnel and upgrade equipment;
• the institution's prospective stability in terms of personnel, activity and funding;
• the technical and geographical relevance of the institution and its activities to TobLabNet program priorities;
• the working relationship which the institution has developed with other institutions in the country, as well as the at the inter-country, regional and global levels; and,
• the scientific and technical standing of the institution concerned at the national and international levels.

Participation and Conflict-of-Interest Requirements

Tobacco use is one of the greatest preventable causes of premature death and disease in the world. Therefore, the goals of tobacco control are to reduce tobacco-related morbidity and mortality through sustained reductions in tobacco use initiation and consumption; to reduce the exposure of non-smokers to harmful tobacco smoke; and to promote denormalization of tobacco use. The tobacco industry has tried to prevent the development of a global strategy to combat tobacco consumption. Consequently, the WHO FCTC warns of the threat posed by the tobacco industry to global tobacco control. The Preamble of the Convention recognizes the need to be alert to industry efforts to subvert tobacco control policies. Further, Article 5(3) obligates parties to the WHO FCTC to protect their public health policies regarding tobacco control from manipulation by the tobacco industry. The WHO FCTC is the only international convention to explicitly address the dangers of an industry subverting the object and purpose of a convention.

For the foregoing reasons, the additional membership criteria below are in order to ensure that the laboratory policy and strategy directions are not compromised. Membership in TobLabNet is ultimately subject to review by the governing body of TobLabNet. These guidelines are subject to annual review and modification by the TobLabNet Steering Committee, which reserves the right to remove from membership any laboratory that the committee deems to have compromised the objectives of the Network.

• The laboratory should not be totally or partially owned by a tobacco company, however, laboratories that are owned or run by a national government that also owns or runs the national tobacco industry are allowed.
• Laboratories that receive funds from the tobacco industry in the form of fee-for-service must demonstrate independence from the tobacco industry. For these organizations, a conflict of interest form is required.
• If a publicly-traded company, the tobacco industry should not have more than 10% share of the total stocks.
• The laboratory should not have any member of the Board of Directors, or someone in a senior management position, who is employed by a tobacco company, which includes consultancy positions, among others. This also includes non-compensated consulting or advising to a tobacco company that may create a conflict by carrying the promise of future work.
• The laboratory may have tobacco companies as customers, but not its sole customers.

Technical Requirements for Inclusion as a Testing Member

In order to fully participate in TobLabNet activities, laboratories must be capable of participating in technical activities. The activities listed here ensure that laboratories have developed minimal capabilities for analyzing tobacco products. One of the primary goals for TobLabNet is to expand these capabilities into measuring more specific toxic, carcinogenic, and addictive agents in tobacco products and smoke.

• Cigarettes: capability for measuring tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide (TNCO) in the mainstream of cigarette smoke according to determined quality standards within a given time period.
• Smokeless tobacco: capability for measuring nicotine and pH (free nicotine) according to determined quality standards within given time period.
• Participate in ongoing quality control protocol.
• Willingness to work towards meeting the ISO 17025 standard.

Proposed Activities

TobLabNet will carry out collaborative activities aimed at meeting the goals of the organization as given above. These activities include:

• Provide remedial support for laboratory staff to improve current capabilities to meet testing requirements.
• Develop a method compendium for use by laboratories seeking to expand their capabilities for analysis of tobacco products and emissions.
• Train laboratory staff in new analytical methodologies using experts experienced in a wide range of analysis methods and techniques.
• Develop common materials for standardization, proficiency testing, and quality control to provide better consistency of results.
• Identify best laboratory practices so that more reliable laboratory information can be generated for research and regulation.
• Test new methods using multiple laboratories to determine ruggedness and applicability under widely varying infrastructures.
• Carry out projects for analyzing, evaluating, and comparing global and regional tobacco products and emissions.
• Perform collaborative research on improving methods for tobacco and smoke testing, better understanding product use, and the impact of different products on biomarkers of exposure and adverse health effects.
• Provide access to world-wide expertise in laboratory techniques, instrumentation, product and smoke analysis methods, product regulation, toxicology and addiction.
• Provide means for electronic communications within the network for accessing information and sharing expertise.

Composition of the Steering Committee

• Chair TobLabNet
• Vice-Chair TobLabNet
• Representative from WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation (Chair)
• Representative from WHO Tobacco Free Initiative
• Chairs of all ad hoc committees and working groups, such as, the method validation working groups

Note: All six WHO Regions should be represented in the Steering Committee, which should also have representation from developing and developed country labs, and independent and government laboratories.

Terms of Reference of the Steering Committee

• Develops proposals and priorities for TobLabNet programs and initiatives.
• Leads development of TobLabNet outputs including documents, studies, standards, databases and information products.
• Identifies resources for supporting developing labs, including training and expert advice.
• Aids mobilization of resources within the network.
• Assists in setting the broad direction for the collaborative TobLabNet Research Agenda.

Composition of the Executive Committee

• Chair
• Vice-Chair
• Representative from WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation (TobReg)
• Representative from WHO Tobacco Free Initiative
• Chair of the Steering Committee

Terms of Reference of the Executive Committee

• Provides the broad direction for TobLabNet activities.
• Coordinates the overall work of TobLabNet.
• Provides major scientific management oversight.
• Identifies and evaluates the qualifications of new members for the network.
• Serves as the chairs of TobLabNet committees.
• Sets the broad direction for the collaborative TobLabNet Research Agenda.
• Advises WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation (TobReg) on issues related to testing contents and emissions of tobacco products.

Chair and Vice-Chair of the WHO TobLabNet

In collaboration with WHO TFI, which is the Secretariat and the Coordinating Body of TobLabNet, the Chair of TobLabNet will be responsible for the overall management of TobLabNet, including chairing the Steering Committee. This person will advise TFI and TobReg on important matters relating to TobLabNet through reports produced within TobLabNet. The Vice-Chair will support the Chair in the above.

Description of work

In collaboration with WHO, the Chairperson of TobLabNet will carry out the following activities:

• Facilitate the expansion of TobLabNet membership and capacity.
• Identify new laboratories in all WHO Regions and extend invitations to enlarge membership
• Ensure smooth collaboration between TobLabNet members specially in tobacco testing and research
• Identify funding bodies for TobLabNet including taking necessary steps to obtain funding in order to ensure that TobLabNet members are able to meet each year.
• Provide leadership in developing overall goals and directions of the network, organizing network activities and identifying network members to carry out these tasks.
• Support the interaction of network members and facilitate cooperative activities between members that are beneficial to the network as a whole.
• Respond to technical queries from TobLabNet members regarding testing and research equipment and methods or direct queries to the appropriate experts.
• In this role, serve as a general resource person for all TobLabNet members, directing them, where appropriate, to resources needed to develop and improve testing capabilities, especially new testing and research facilities which need assistance in building capacity.

Core Competencies

• Communicating in a credible and effective way
• with TobLabNet members, WHO staff and TobReg
• to facilitate cooperation and efficiency
• Knowing and managing oneself by offering leadership and initiative in TobLabNet projects.
• Producing results for presentation to WHO, to TobLabNet members and to TobReg.
• Moving forward in a changing environment by incorporating ideas and feedback from TobLabNet members in work plans.
• Fostering integration, teamwork, and collaboration and building rapport among TobLabNet members.
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences.
• Creating a climate in which all TobLabNet members are respected and able to contribute at various levels.
• Fostering consensus within an environment of respect for differences.