2023-05-27 04:00:52
- WHO has announced the winners of the 2023 World No Tobacco Day Awards.
- A Mexican doctor who works at the National Institute of Public Health obtained this prestigious recognition for her constant fight against tobacco.
- Mexico is the ninth country in the world that totally prohibits tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
Each year, WHO honors individuals or organizations that have made an outstanding contribution to advancing the policies and measures included in the Framework Agreement for the Fight and Control of Tobacco (CMCT) in each of the six regions that comprise it. Winners are selected from nominations submitted following a global public call and a maximum of six prizes are awarded per region, two of which may receive special recognition.
List of 2023 winners
The Dr. Reina Roa, from Panama, received the Special Recognition Award from the Director General of the WHO for his 20 years of work dedicated to eradicating smoking. Dr. Roa is in charge of tobacco control at the Ministry of Health of Panama and vice president of the Bureau of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol for the Elimination of Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products on behalf of the Americas. She played a key role in Panama’s ratification of the FCTC, the second country in the Americas to achieve this milestone.
Dr. Roa’s actions also contributed to reducing the prevalence rate of tobacco use among people over 15 years of age in Panama to 5.1% in 2020, the lowest in the region. The Panamanian doctor will receive recognition this May 27 in Geneva (Switzerland) during the World Health Assembly.
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ACT Promoção da Saúde and the Center for Studies on Tobacco and Health (CETAB) from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation of Brazil received a joint award for having significantly contributed to the achievements of tobacco control in Brazil and to the understanding of the socio-environmental impact of tobacco cultivation and production.
Mexican doctor stands out in the fight against tobacco
Blanca Llorente Carreno and Luz Reynales Shigematsu, from Colombia and Mexico, respectively, received a joint award in recognition of their long-term contributions to tobacco control research and advocacy in their countries, in the region, and beyond. Dr. Llorente, a university professor and Director of Research at Fundación Anáas, has played a key role in promoting the tobacco tax agenda in Colombia and Latin America.
For her part, Dr. Reynales, who is head of the Department of Control and Prevention of Tobacco National Institute of Public Healthhas coordinated the Institute’s Tobacco Control Summer School for more than ten years, training multiple cohorts of Latin American advocates, researchers, and decision-makers, among other actions.
Mexican organizations Salud Justa Mx, Polithink, Coalición México Salud-Hable, Códice SC (Communication, Dialogue and Awareness SC) and Refleacciona responsibly AC received a joint award for their tireless efforts and perseverance over more than a decade advocating for the implementation of effective tobacco control measures in line with the FCTC in their country.
Mexico is the 24th PAHO Member State to have 100% smoke-free public places, indoor workplaces, and public transportation; and the 9th to completely ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
He Research Center for the Tobacco Epidemic (CIET) of Uruguay and the Uruguayan Society of Tabacology (SUT) were recognized with a joint award for protecting the enforcement of plain packaging for tobacco products in their country, a policy adopted in 2019.
In 2022, and after a decree that weakened this measure, both organizations coordinated with regional partners to warn about the potential risk of weakening the regulation on plain packaging. The SUT filed an amparo action requesting the suspension of the decree and more recently demanded its annulment.
Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year in the world, one million of them in the Americas. World No Tobacco Day was created by the Member States of the WHO in 1987 and is commemorated every May 31. Its objective is to raise awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco use and exposure to its smoke.
The theme of World No Tobacco Day 2023 en Let’s grow food, not tobacco. The campaign aims to encourage governments to end subsidies on tobacco growing and use the resources saved to help farmers switch to more sustainable crops that improve food security and nutrition for the world’s population.
Also read:
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CDMX appears among the 5 best cities in the world in public health
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