World No Tobacco Day

Each year, BATA celebrates World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), 31 May. The events bring together the different BATA member organizations, and many other organizations lending their support to the tobacco control movement.

World No Tobacco Day 2006

People’s involvement needed for enforcement of tobacco control law
Dr. Khondaker Musharraf Hossain, Minister of Health and Family Welfare

Dr. Khondaker Musharraf Hossain, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, said that people’s involvement is needed to enforce the tobacco control law, utilizing GO-NGO collaboration.  It is also necessary to raise awareness among those with responsibility for law enforcement.  The Minister spoke on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day 2006 (31 May), at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.  The Minister also said that without the role of the public, success is not possible, and encouraged NGOs to help with law implementation.

The theme of this year’s World No Tobacco Day is Tobacco:  Deadly in any form or disguise.  Various speakers at the meeting emphasized the harm of all forms of tobacco, whether smoked or used orally.

The Honorable Health Minister said that in recognition of his important contribution to tobacco control in South East Asia, Saifuddin Ahmed, Coordinator of the Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance, was awarded the WHO World No Tobacco Award.  Upon receiving the award, Saifuddin Ahmed said that the success of the Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance was due to the hard work of its many members and the active support of the media in furthering the work of tobacco control advocates.

Speakers at the seminar said that tobacco harms not only health, but environment and the economy, particularly reducing the living standard of the poor.  For that reason, the Government of Bangladesh has ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and passed the tobacco control law, which came into effect in March 2006.  Speakers also mentioned that the rules for the law had just been approved yesterday, on 30 May 2006.  As a result of the law, all advertising and promotion of cigarettes is banned in the electronic and print media, and smoking in public places has declined.  The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has also recently approved the National Policy and Plan of Action for Tobacco Control in Bangladesh, 2006-2008.

Prior to the seminar, government, WHO, and non-government organizations participated in a rally, beginning at 9 am from the National Museum to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.  Officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, various member organizations and the coordinator of the Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance, and others attended the colorful rally.

Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance	Protyasha
Manobik	Dhaka Ahasania Mission
Mobile Song Team	Mobile Song Team
Welfare association for cancer care	National Non-Smoker Forum
TMSS-Dhaka	Hunger Project
CAB	Usika
WBB Trust	Song Team