As it does every year, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to advancing the policies and actions contained in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in each of the six regions of that health authority.
Winners will be selected from nominations submitted through a global public bidding process. A maximum of six prizes are awarded per region, two of which may receive special recognition.
dr Reina Roa from Panama received the special award from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for her 20 years of work to eradicate smoking.
Roa serves as Vice President of the Office of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products on behalf of America and has helped bring the tobacco use prevalence rate down to 5.1 percent in 2020. The number of people over the age of 15 in Panama is the lowest in the region.
ACT Promoção da Saúde and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation of Brazil Center for Tobacco and Health Studies received a joint award for their significant contribution to tobacco control in Brazil and to understanding the socio-environmental impacts of cultivation and production.
The Mexican organizations Salud Justa Mx, Polithink, Coalición México Salud-Hable, Códice SC (Comunicación, Diálogo y Conciencia SC) and Refleacciona con Responsabilidad AC received an award for their commitment and perseverance for more than a decade, committed to implementation take more effective action to control tobacco in accordance with the FCTC in your country.
Mexico is the 24th WHO Member State to have 100 percent smoke-free public places, indoor workplaces and public transportation, and the ninth to ban tobacco advertising, promotions and sponsorships entirely.
The Uruguayan Tobacco Epidemic Research Center and the Uruguayan Tobacco Society were also recognized for protecting the use of plain packaging for tobacco products in their country, a policy passed in 2019.
According to the WHO, tobacco kills more than eight million people worldwide every year, one million of them in the Americas.
World No Tobacco Day was established by WHO Member States in 1987 and is observed each year on May 31 with the aim of raising awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco use and exposure to its smoke.
This year’s theme is ‘Grow Food Not Tobacco’, a campaign aimed at encouraging governments to end tobacco growing subsidies and use resources to help farmers switch to more sustainable crops that support food and beverage production Improve food security for the world population.
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