Monica Garcia - Spanish Health Minister and spokesperson for far-left political group Mas Madrid - has announced that she is applying for a top role at the World Health Organisation.
Garcia, who is behind a Spanish Government plan to ban flavours in vapes, announced her intentions on X yesterday, saying Spain should have “more relevance in global health policies”.
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The Executive Council - for which Garcia is applying - is made up of 34 members qualified in the field of health (Garcia is a medical doctor by training). Its members are elected for a three-year term.
Its functions of the Executive Board are to “give effect to the decisions and policies of the Health Assembly, to advise it and, generally, to facilitate its work”. Whatever that means.
While Garcia made no mention of her proposed flavour ban in her pitch for the top WHO position, It has been speculated that her anti-vaping stance will help her chances.
The WHO has been vocally anti-vape and anti harm reduction over the past decade, to the point where its public statements on X (formerly Twitter), have been served with community notes for being misleading.
One such post - claiming that vaping causes seizures within 24 hours - was criticised for using studies that were not peer reviewed and based on inconclusive evidence. Clearing the Air has covered these stories extensively here, here and here.
Spanish vapers were quick to criticise the move, pointing out that Garcia’s application might hint at a conflict of interest: Angeles Muntadas Prim Latifa - a senior figure in ANESVAP, Spain’s vape consumer organisation - was quick to condemn the move:
Consumers and small businesses in Spain will see a first draft of the new proposal in the coming weeks, with a new consultation opening shortly afterwards. Clearing the Air has covered those developments extensively here (in English) and here (in Spanish), and will continue to monitor developments.
UPEV - the trade association representing small businesses in the vaping sector in Spain - has announced that it will hold a protest outside the Ministry of Health in Madrid on 31st May.
