Countries of the Americas agree on new strategy to strengthen tobacco control – PAHO/WHO
Washington, DC, October 3, 2024 (PAHO) – During the 61st Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), high health authorities approved a new strategy aimed at improving tobacco control in the region. This initiative seeks to strengthen anti-smoking efforts while addressing emerging challenges, such as the growing use of e-cigarettes among youth.
Every year, one million people die from tobacco use in the Americas. Despite declining consumption rates, an estimated 133 million adults and 5 million adolescents ages 13 to 15 continue to use tobacco. The substance represents one of the main threats to public health and creates considerable social, economic and environmental burdens for countries.
The Strategy and Action Plan to Strengthen Tobacco Control in the Region of the Americas 2025-2030 aims to accelerate the implementation of the measures contained in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in the region, promoting healthier, sustainable and equitable environments. and prioritize the protection of youth, women and lower-income populations.
«There is still much to be done to combat one of the world’s leading causes of preventable death. This new resolution will help promote proven and cost-effective measures to reduce tobacco use and protect health, especially among people in vulnerable situations,» said Dr. Said Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO.
The strategy identifies youth as a central target of the tobacco industry, which seeks to attract children and adolescents to replace tobacco users who have quit or died. In addition, there is increasingly aggressive promotion of emerging products aimed at this target population, such as electronic cigarettes, whose consumption among young people exceeds that of the adult population in most countries.
The five FCTC measures recognized by WHO as the “best options” to prevent and control non-communicable diseases (NCDs) form the basis and starting point of the new strategy and action plan. By discouraging tobacco use and nicotine addiction, you will also contribute to the protection of the environment and promote an economy that prioritizes the health of the population over the profits of industries that depend on the sale of harmful products.
Five strategic lines of action
The regional strategy establishes five lines of action:
- Implementation of effective measures to regulate the consumption, marketing and advertising of conventional and emerging tobacco products.
- Implementation of pricing and tax measures to reduce the demand for tobacco.
- Provision of comprehensive quality services that support effective smoking cessation efforts and appropriate treatment of tobacco dependence.
- Ratification of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the Protocol for the Elimination of Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.
- Strengthen the capacity of Member States to develop public health policies that counter tobacco industry interference.
The new strategy responds to a request from PAHO Member States during the 60th Directing Council of PAHO last year, who sought support to develop a strategy and action plan to continue efforts to implement control measures profitable tobacco products and address challenges such as digital marketing. tactics and continued interference from the tobacco industry.
