The year 2023 was a year of numerous changes, both internally and externally. We concluded the year with a new government and a political context presenting significant challenges, requiring new working strategies.
Regarding changes within the organization, the executive leadership of FIC Argentina underwent modifications in the first half of the year, following the departure of Marita Pizarro. She held the position since 2017 and had been part of the organization since its inception. Marita played a crucial role in FIC due to her commitment to public health and her extensive experience in promoting tobacco control policies at both national and regional levels. After her departure and a subsequent internal reorganization, Luciana Castronuovo, a member of FIC Argentina since 2012 and the coordinator of research for the past three years, assumed the role of Project Director. Thus, the executive leadership is now composed of Luciana and myself, occupying the role of Institutional Director.
These modifications occurred within the framework of our organization’s fifteenth anniversary. Since its inception, FIC Argentina has worked to promote public policies ensuring the right to health for the entire population. The organization began its work on non-communicable disease prevention and control through international cooperation on tobacco control in 2008. Over these 15 years, FIC has conducted extensive research on topics such as healthy eating, physical activity, and alcohol consumption control, aiming to provide evidence for policymakers and contribute to the formulation of laws and measures for public health. Additionally, FIC has designed and implemented communication strategies to promote these issues and contribute to political advocacy through various tools and approaches.
FIC Argentina’s work has been rigorous, demonstrating institutional commitment that transcends individuals and has become a signature of our organization. Over time, FIC has reinvented itself, adapting to different scenarios, and has solidified its position as a national and regional institution working towards public health.
Throughout this journey, we have learned a great deal. We successfully collaborated with numerous organizations, formed strategic alliances and collaborative projects, engaged in impactful advocacy at local, national, and international levels, conducted essential research to support policies, and implemented extensive communication campaigns. It has been a challenging and intense journey where we overcame obstacles, learned from our mistakes, and continued to grow. We remained steadfast in our pursuit of the same goal: working to ensure the right to health for our country.
In 2023, we decided to further strengthen our institutional work by inviting new members to the Advisory Board of FIC Argentina. Professionals with extensive experience in our focus areas joined the new Advisory Board: Alejandro Videla, Sabrina Crtzmann, Veronica Odriozola, Enrique Abeya, Aldo Domanico, Martin Hevia, and Florencia Cunzuolo. With these additions, we aim to broaden our perspective on specific agenda items and gain more tools and resources for discussing, researching, and developing short, medium, and long-term strategies. In 2023, Lorena Allemandi and Edurne Cardenas, who had been longstanding members of the organization’s team, also joined the FIC Board.
Another significant aspect of this year was our initiation of work on new topics, including the link between climate, health, and the environment, and breastfeeding, expanding our agenda. Concerning the first focus, we have two ongoing projects. One is the project titled «Towards the development of an integrated FAIR Data digital platform at the Climate-Environment-Health nexus in the South American Region: A case study in Argentina,» funded by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. This involves collaboration with representatives from the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the National University of Córdoba, ANLIS Malbrán, and the National Meteorological Service. Additionally, we are working on a collaborative project with the organization Health Without Harm, the National University of Rosario, Global Climate and Health Alliance, and the National University of San Martín, funded by the World Health Organization’s Health Policy and Systems Research program. The goal is to analyze the regulatory framework related to the climate and health agenda to identify key challenges and facilitators in implementing these regulations at the national, provincial, and local levels.
Furthermore, through collaboration with various national organizations such as UNICEF Argentina and international organizations like Bloomberg Philanthropies through the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), and the International Development Research Center (IDRC), we continued to develop projects related to nutrition (implementation of the Healthy Food Promotion Law, analysis of Argentina’s food situation, promotion of healthy and sustainable diets); tobacco control (analysis of achievements and challenges 10 years after the National Tobacco Control Law, monitoring the tobacco industry, proposals to increase tobacco taxes); and alcohol (formation of a coalition of organizations related to alcohol issues), among other projects.
Without a doubt, 2023 was a turning point year for FIC Argentina, marked not only by the mentioned team changes, new agenda topics, and generated alliances but also by the challenge of fulfilling our mission in an environment of economic crisis and significant political changes, creating a profoundly novel national context.
Health is not immune to the changes brought about by the new scenario. The new national government is promoting a profound reform in our institutional framework, including, among many other points, modifications to the regulatory framework for taxes on tobacco and nicotine products. Specifically, it eliminates the minimum tax on cigarettes and incorporates very low taxes for heated tobacco products and electronic cigarettes—harmful devices that are currently prohibited in Argentina. FIC is actively working to prevent any regression in health protection standards and advocating for the voice of civil society to be heard by authorities.
Therefore, FIC is intensifying its efforts. As a social organization, we will be working to defend the achievements made and protect all the progress that has been achieved. Recognizing that our country requires transformations in terms of public policy, we will focus all our efforts on ensuring that forthcoming changes always include a perspective of protecting the population’s right to health. We will strive to ensure that the State continues to fulfill its role as a guarantor of rights. Many challenges lie ahead, and after 15 years, we will continue working under the premise that has accompanied us from day one: Health is a human right, and defending it is our duty
Gabriela Lozano, Institutional Director of FIC Argentina.
