11 nations of WHO South-East Asia Region promise ‘hard-hitting’ measures against tobacco

Worried over an “unacceptably” high level of tobacco consumption, the health ministers of 11 countries belonging to the WHO South-East Asia Region have signed a declaration pledging to accelerate “hard-hitting measures” to reduce tobacco use.

Bangladesh, Bhutan, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste are the members of this region that accounts for over one-third of the world’s tobacco use.

The declaration was signed at Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste, where the 68th Regional Committee Meeting of this region began on Monday.

Tobacco control figured prominently at the meeting, inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, Rui Maria de Araújo.

The declaration, spearheaded by WHO, calls on the governments, UN agencies, and partners to accelerate tobacco control in the region.

It calls for a stricter implementation of tobacco control and prevention guidelines outlined in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

Hastening the implementation of WHO FCTC is being seen vital to achieving the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to cut tobacco use by 30 percent within 2025.

WHO says tobacco kills 1.3 million people in the region every year - 150 each hour.

This includes people who have never used tobacco themselves but were exposed to second- and third-hand tobacco effects.

“Tobacco use in South-East Asia is alarmingly high, triggering major health and economic consequences,” Regional Director Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh said during the adoption of the declaration.

“Tougher actions are needed for tobacco control and prevention,” she said.

Tobacco use has been identified as one of the major risk factors for serious ailments lung and heart diseases, and cancer.

Hike in all tobacco products taxes, the banning of advertisements, enforcement of pictorial warnings on cigarette packets and implementing ban on public smoking are some of the measures WHO suggested for tobacco control.

Besides adopting and enforcing tobacco control laws, rules and regulation, WHO recommends greater awareness on the ill effects of all tobacco products.