“Tobacco endgame makes very good sense as a boost to both health and economic development,” said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization at the inaugural session of the ‘International Conference on Public Health Priorities in the 21st Century: The Endgame for Tobacco.’
Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad was the Chief Guest at the inaugural ceremony of the conference organized by Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and HRIDAY – SHAN (Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth – Student Health Action Network) with support of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and the World Health Organization.
In her keynote address, DG-WHO highlighted that on current trends, tobacco use is projected to cause a billion deaths during the 21st century.
“Think of all the lives saved, the suffering avoided, and the costs averted if the tobacco industry simply ceased to exist,” she added.
She adviced that it would be important to be very precise in defining what is meant by a tobacco endgame. Dr Chan also suggested that endgame strategies should be anchored in impeccable science.
Speaking at the opening plenary at the conference, Dr Nata Menabde, WHO Representative to India said, “This conference marks a decade of the WHO FCTC being in place. While the convention provides a framework for tobacco control, this conference provides a goal for the countries to work towards. Collaboration with multiple sectors and stakeholders is the key to the success of the tobacco endgame strategy.”
“The Government of India has taken a lead in implementing the WHO FCTC and WHO remains committed to supporting the government in its endeavors,” she added.
Nearly 500 participants from over 50 countries are attending the three day conference (September 10-12 2013) at New Delhi to deliberate and present actionable strategies to fight the global tobacco epidemic.
For more information about the conference, please visit www.endgameconference2013.in
For information on the Tobacco Free Initiative at the WHO Country Office for India, please visit https://www.who.int/southeastasia/health-topics/tobacco