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World Health Organization (WHO)

Year(s) :  2008, 2007
Grant Recipient Type :  Government
Contact Name :  Douglas Bettcher, WHO
Grantor :  World Lung Foundation (WLF)
Project goal :  To make progress in tobacco control in the EMRO region.
Direct Grant :  No

World Health Organization

Key achievement to date: Initiated negotiations with Brasilcon (consumers' organization based in Brazil) and other organizations to get involved in the issue.

Objective 1: To achieve region-wide progress in tobacco control.
Major accomplishments to date:

• Held packaging and labeling workshop as part of a regional meeting in Egypt. Encouraged Health Ministers of each Member State to initiate legislation that would lead to WHO FCTC Article 11 compliance on packaging and labeling related to health warnings. Held a press conference for the signing of the memorandum of understanding with three GATS partners. More than 50 media agencies attended.
• Collaborated with Center for Communication Programs of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in content and design of a set of culturally appropriate pictorial health warnings for countries in the region. Held a regional capacity building workshop in Tunisia.
  
• Arabic versions of WNTD materials, as well as tobacco industry documents related to the region, were widely disseminated. Three video spots produced for WNTD, which encourage youth to give up smoking, were regularly aired on the most watched music and youth TV channels in the region. Released a new publication on tobacco industry activities in the region to coincide with WNTD 2008.
• Collaborated with the Framework Convention Alliance (FCA) to organize a regional capacity building workshop on illicit trade that was attended by representatives of three Member States.
  
• Organized meetings to support tobacco control policies, including one training government personnel and NGO representatives on increasing compliance with smoke-free provisions. 
• Arabic version of the GTCR was released during the Regional Committee Meeting in October.
• Held regional workshop on WHO FCTC implementation, with emphasis on MPOWER, especially "100% smoke-free" policies, pictorial health warnings, and tobacco promotion bans. A draft of model Arabic legislation was presented and deliberated.
  

Objective 2: To achieve tobacco control progress in Egypt.
Major accomplishments to date:

• Country Director's office participated in activities to plan for the development of health warnings, labeling and pictorial warnings. National Action Plan for Tobacco Control was finalized.
• Country Director's office, with regional office for EMRO, worked to raise public awareness on tobacco-related issues through a nationwide media campaign that involved radio, television and print. WHO piloted media campaign in the medical school in collaboration with the Faculty of Public Health at Ain Shams University.
• Supported NGOs for policy and public advocacy campaigns related to advertising bans, 100% smoke-free places and pictorial health warnings. 
• WNTD celebrations included a marathon. 
• Press conference held to support new pictorial health warnings; engaged in public-awareness campaigns throughout the month of Ramadan. Launch of pictorial health warnings that cover 50% of fronts and backs of cigarette packs. 
• Organized national training workshop on increasing compliance with smoke-free policies. 
• Registered federation of NGOs in support of the NGO coalition project idea. 
• Mission proposed to analyze taxation system and advise on how best to raise taxes on tobacco products.
  

Objective 3: To achieve tobacco control progress in Pakistan.
Major accomplishments to date:

• Comprehensive National Action Plan for Tobacco Control approved. Consensus achieved to have strict implementation of the anti-smoking ordinance, display of pictorial warnings on cigarette packs and a complete ad ban.
  
• Established forum to coordinate activities of various BI projects. Technical Advisory Group on tobacco control activated, and submitted recommendations to the government to increase taxation on tobacco.
  
• Minister of Health announced that cigarette packs will have rotational health warnings beginning January 2009.
  
• WNTD included hiking and sports competitions; a national advocacy conference took place in Islamabad. Activities organized to explore how taxation can be used to strengthen capacity. The review of taxation policy completed.
• Supported project to document tobacco industry activities in-country. Journalists' Health Forum created. Religious scholar's forum organized to support a Ramadan campaign to quit smoking. Two missions to identify taxation issues on tobacco conducted, a consultant identified to conduct research on tobacco industry activities.
• Analysis of national legislation on tobacco control presented to the Technical Advisory Group.  Supported NGO/media alliance to act as joint pressure group for policy advocacy. Provided support for project to strengthen tobacco control infrastructure. HQ presented a tobacco taxation report prepared for Pakistan at a tax reform workshop jointly organized by the Federal Bureau of Revenue and the IMF.