Dear colleagues and friends,
Good morning, it’s a pleasure to be here, and thank you all for your commitment to the continued fight against tobacco.
We have come a long way in that fight.
Since 2018, the number of countries on track to meet the target of a 30% reduction in tobacco use between 2010 and 2025 has almost doubled, from 32 to 60 countries.
However, I don’t need to tell you that we still have a lot of work to do.
One in five people globally still use tobacco, and less than one in three have access to the cessation services they need.
Last year's World No Tobacco Day theme focused on addressing this glaring gap.
WHO has launched new digital tools such as Florence, the world’s first digital health worker, using artificial intelligence to provide health advice, including on tobacco cessation.
We have also sent 2.3 million nicotine patches and gum to low-and middle-income countries. We need to do more.
I thank all our partners who supported these efforts, many of whom are in the room today.
Tobacco cessation saves lives, protects health, and reduces the burden on health systems. And that saves governments money.
That is why today, WHO is launching the global Tobacco Cessation Consortium, a mechanism for engaging non-state actors, especially the private sector, to provide comprehensive cessation support to all who need it.
I am pleased to see so much interest, especially from our private sector partners.
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If tobacco were a deadly virus, we would invest millions in developing vaccines to prevent it or drugs to treat it.
Instead, the world invests billions of dollars in rewarding an industry that destroys human health and causes untold suffering.
Every dollar invested in a tobacco company is an investment in death and disease.
We must fight tobacco on every front – in kiosks, on billboards, in the courts – and on the financial markets.
That’s exactly what Tobacco Free Portfolios is doing, by working with banks, investors and rating agencies to commit to policies of divesting from tobacco companies.
Since the launch of the Tobacco Free Finance Pledge four years ago, it has secured 167 signatories across 22 countries, representing 11 trillion US dollars in assets under management.
Every year, WHO recognizes individuals or organizations for their accomplishments in the area of tobacco control with the “World No Tobacco Day Awards”.
I am therefore delighted to present this years’ WHO Director-General Special Recognition Award to Tobacco Free Portfolios, and its founder and CEO, my good friend, Dr Bronwyn King.
Dr King, thank you for your dedication and for everything you have achieved. My warmest congratulations to you and your team.
And thank you all once again for your commitment. WHO is committed to supporting countries and our partners in the quest for a tobacco-free world.
I thank you.