Countries of the WHO European Region encourage tobacco users to commit to quit on World No Tobacco Day
The theme of this year’s World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) campaign was “Commit to quit”. During the campaign, countries advocated for strong tobacco cessation policies, promoted increased access to cessation services, raised awareness of tobacco industry tactics and empowered tobacco users to successfully quit through “Quit and Win” initiatives.
Countries of the WHO European Region encourage tobacco users to commit to quit on World No Tobacco Day 01
In Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, students from 4 universities took part in a health festival aiming to raise awareness among young people about the dangers of tobacco, inform them about the tactics employed by the tobacco industry, and involve students in tobacco control advocacy by developing their leadership skills.
Countries of the WHO European Region encourage tobacco users to commit to quit on World No Tobacco Day 07
The “Student Entrepreneurship Cup” was held in Kyrgyzstan on the eve of WNTD 2021. More than 300 students participated in the event, where the main aim was to deepen young people’s knowledge about the dangers of tobacco and motivate them to choose a healthy life free of nicotine addiction.
Countries of the WHO European Region encourage tobacco users to commit to quit on World No Tobacco Day 10
To celebrate the laureates of the 2021 WNTD Award, WHO/Europe in collaboration with the Smoke Free Partnership and the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention organized the conference “Tobacco-free policy-making for a tobacco-free Europe” on 8 June. The conference included a high-level panel discussion with experts, advocates and policy-makers on tobacco industry interference and how countries can counteract it, and a virtual award ceremony to honour the recipients of the WNTD Award from the WHO European Region
Countries of the WHO European Region encourage tobacco users to commit to quit on World No Tobacco Day 03
WNTD in Poland featured an interview on smoking cessation and prevention during the live program Warszawski Dzień (Warsaw Day) with Dr Paweł Koczkodaj, Deputy Head of the Cancer Epidemiology and Primary Prevention Department at the National Cancer Research Institute in Poland. For the whole day, the television station displayed a no-smoking sign.
Countries of the WHO European Region encourage tobacco users to commit to quit on World No Tobacco Day 12
Daniela Ludwig MP, Drug Commissioner of the Federal Government of Germany, congratulated Johannes Lindenmeyer, Christa Rustler and Christian Grah (right to left) of the German Network for Tobacco-Free Hospitals and Health-Care Services (DNRfK) for their 2021 WNTD Award in recognition of their contribution to tobacco prevention in Germany.
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In Turkey, the University of Health Sciences in collaboration with the WHO Country Office organized a WNTD conference to discuss the importance of strong tobacco cessation policies and measures to reduce tobacco use in the population. During the conference, a poster award ceremony took place and the Turkish Tractor Factory received a smoke-free workplace certificate. Smokers who successfully quit tobacco use were also acknowledged and received certificates and awards.
Countries of the WHO European Region encourage tobacco users to commit to quit on World No Tobacco Day 09
To mark WNTD 2021 in Ukraine, WHO participated in a briefing together with representatives of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Ministry’s Public Health Center and civil society. They discussed the negative health effects of tobacco use, the importance of smoking cessation, challenges related to the use of new nicotine and tobacco products that gain extreme popularity, ways of tackling the tobacco epidemic, and the need to strengthen anti-tobacco legislation in Ukraine.
Countries of the WHO European Region encourage tobacco users to commit to quit on World No Tobacco Day 04
"In Kyrgyzstan, under the slogan “Create your own world without tobacco”, a meeting was held with the employees of the City Department of Internal Affairs to inform them about the WNTD campaign and carry out preventive measures against tobacco use at the local level..
Countries of the WHO European Region encourage tobacco users to commit to quit on World No Tobacco Day 08
Kazakhstan celebrated WNTD 2021 by displaying posters on large screens to raise awareness of the dangers of tobacco and encourage tobacco users to quit. The posters were shown in 15 cities around the country.
Countries of the WHO European Region encourage tobacco users to commit to quit on World No Tobacco Day 05
Uzbekistan launched the “Commit to Quit” nationwide campaign online, aiming to expand access to services for those looking to quit tobacco. This was held on 28 May and led by WHO alongside the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan, the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan and the Uzbekistan Medical Students’ Association (UzMSA Phenomenon).
Countries of the WHO European Region encourage tobacco users to commit to quit on World No Tobacco Day 02
On 20 May, WHO/Europe in collaboration with the Russian Ministry of Health organized the online webinar “Commit to Quit: experience, practices and innovations in tobacco cessation”. During the live event, experts from Finland, the Russian Federation and Uzbekistan discussed national tobacco cessation programmes and how to strengthen cessation support. The Russian version of Florence, WHO’s first-ever digital health worker based on artificial intelligence to help people quit tobacco, was launched.