DUSHANBE, May 31, Asia-Plus — On Wednesday May 31, Tajikistan conducted actions to mark a World No Tobacco Day, according to information from the Republican Center for Formation of Healthy Lifestyle.
The Center conducted a series of actions in the capital city and other regions of the country. This year, the World No Tobacco Day is marked under the motto of “Tobacco: Deadly in Any Form or Disguise.”
According to information from the Center, the purpose of World No Tobacco Day 2006 is to encourage countries and governments to work towards strict regulation of tobacco products. We will do this by raising awareness about the existence of the wide variety of deadly tobacco products. Regulation should also help people get accurate information, remove the disguise and unveil the truth behind tobacco products – traditional, new, and future.
Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death in the world, with an estimated 4.9 million deaths a year. If current smoking patterns continue, the toll will nearly double by 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. A high percentage of deaths (70%) will occur in developing countries. Tobacco kills people at the height of their productivity, depriving families of breadwinners and nations of a healthy workforce.
Increased trade, foreign investment, global marketing and other complex international phenomena have led to the globalization of the tobacco epidemic. As the epidemic transcends national borders, its control requires international cooperation and multilateral regulation.
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) was developed as a global response to the globalization of the tobacco epidemic. Adopted in June of 2003, the WHO FCTC quickly became one of the most widely embraced treaties in United Nations” history, becoming international binding law on February 27 2005.
