Five organizations in the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region have won 2019 World No Tobacco Day Awards in recognition of their outstanding work in tobacco control.
Every year, WHO honours individuals or organizations in each of its six regions for exceptional tobacco control achievements. This year’s awardees in the Region are: the Xi’an Municipal People’s Government in China; the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; the Guam Non-Communicable Disease Consortium Tobacco Control Action Team; the Niue Ministry of Social Services; and the Iloilo City Government in the Philippines.
Tobacco kills
Tobacco kills over half its users. Nearly one in four adults in the Western Pacific Region is a smoker, and millions more are exposed to harmful second-hand smoke. The award recipients have implemented a variety of initiatives to combat tobacco use.
“I’m delighted to see the strong action our awardees are taking to control tobacco – from higher taxes to quit programmes to smoke-free areas,” said Dr Takeshi Kasai, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific. “The results of their activities are even more encouraging: smoking rates are decreasing in many of these places, as are diseases caused by tobacco such as lung cancer.”
Building a smoke-free city: Xi’an Municipal People’s Government, China
The Xi’an Municipal People’s Government launched a citywide tobacco control movement in 2016. Last year, the Government passed legislation banning smoking in all indoor public places, workplaces, public transport and some outdoor areas. Around 40 000 law enforcement personnel have inspected more than 50 000 venues to enforce the ban, resulting in the equivalent of more than US$ 20 000 in fines. This enforcement work has been backed by a strong communications campaign.
A multipronged approach: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has committed to tobacco control over several decades. They have used a multipronged approach encompassing legislation, enforcement, publicity, health promotion, smoking cessation services, taxation and research. From health education programmes in the 1970s to the ban on smokeless tobacco in the 1980s, Hong Kong SAR (China) has served as an example for the Region. In 2017, the Government mandated that graphic warnings had to cover 85% of cigarette packaging. Currently, they are proposing a ban on electronic cigarettes and other new tobacco products, aiming to be among the first jurisdictions to reach single-digit smoking rates.
Taxes and legislation: Guam Non-Communicable Disease Consortium Tobacco Control Action Team
The Guam Non-Communicable Disease Consortium Tobacco Control Action has successfully advocated a range of legislation including: increasing the tax on cigarettes, raising the minimum age for purchasing to 21, classifying electronic cigarettes as a tobacco product, and prohibiting smoking in bars and in vehicles when minors and pregnant women are present. These measures have led to marked reductions in smoking among adults and high school students over the past six years. The Action Team’s new goal is to further reduce smoking rates by 20% within four years.
Strongest legislation in the Pacific: Niue Ministry of Social Services
Niue has the lowest tobacco use prevalence and strongest tobacco control legislation in the Pacific. Adopted in 2018, the legislation proactively protects public policy from tobacco industry interference, raises the minimum purchase age to 21, and prohibits the commercial growing and manufacturing of tobacco. The Ministry of Social Services conducts tobacco education and awareness campaigns annually for World No Tobacco Day. The Ministry also trains village health workers to provide cessation advice to support those wanting to quit smoking.
Cessation services and protecting minors: Iloilo City Government, Philippines
The Iloilo City Government recently ran an intensive campaign encouraging smokers to quit with the help of the city’s Quitline and cessation services at health centres. The Government prohibits the sale of tobacco products to minors as well as near schools and other places frequented by minors. It has also enacted bans on vaping and shisha and on establishing designated smoking areas. An additional tax was introduced for the sale of cigarettes, alongside increased penalties for violations. The Government also implemented a Non-Smoker Preferential Policy to inform the hiring of city government employees.
Models for the Region
“We know what we need to do to reduce tobacco use and help smokers quit, and these organizations are setting a stellar example,” said Dr Kasai. “I urge all government organizations, businesses and communities to take strong steps to control tobacco and foster healthier, more productive populations.”
Notes to editors:
Every year on 31 May, WHO and global partners celebrate World No Tobacco Day. This year’s event focuses on “tobacco and lung health” and aims to increase awareness of the negative impact that tobacco has on people’s lung health – from cancer to chronic respiratory disease. World No Tobacco Day also serves as a call to action, advocating effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption and engaging stakeholders across multiple sectors in the fight for tobacco control.
Related links:
World No Tobacco Day Awards 2019
Tobacco in the WHO Western Pacific Region
World No Tobacco Day in the Western Pacific Region
Countries and areas of the WHO Western Pacific Region: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, France (which has responsibility for French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Wallis and Futuna), Hong Kong SAR (China), Japan, Kiribati, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Macao SAR (China), Malaysia, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (which has responsibility for Pitcairn Islands), the United States of America (which has responsibility for American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam), Vanuatu and Viet Nam.