WHO Named as One of Five Partners to Implement Michael Bloomberg's US$125 Million Initiative to Promote Freedom From Smoking

WHO Named as One of Five Partners to Implement Michael Bloomberg's US$125 Million Initiative to Promote Freedom From Smoking

November 06, 2006

    GENEVA, Nov. 6 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- In August,
Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, announced his
commitment to donate US$125 million towards an initiative to
end the global tobacco epidemic.  The World Health
Organization (WHO) is pleased to be one of the five key
partners in the initiative and looks forward to working
closely with the other partners.

    (Logo: 
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040610/CNTH001LOGO )

    This initiative presents an opportunity to immediately
scale up tobacco control efforts in developing countries
where the health burden is the highest.  Working with other
project partners, WHO (through its Tobacco Free Initiative)
will play an important leadership role in strengthening
tobacco control systems by working to ensure that country
level interventions are effective and in line with best
evidence and policies.

    Specifically, WHO will expand the public-sector support
and guidance it already provides to help governments around
the world develop national tobacco control plans, pass and
enforce key laws and implement effective policies and
tobacco control measures.  Those measures include tobacco
tax increases, advertising bans, mandatory health warning
labels and smoking bans, as set out in the WHO Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), the key
international treaty on tobacco control.

    WHO will continue to lead the development and setting
of international standards on tobacco control, working
closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Foundation on global surveillance of tobacco use.  At the
same time, WHO will work with the World Lung Foundation to
advance ongoing monitoring activities that measure how
effectively tobacco control policies are implemented at the
country level.

    Mr Bloomberg's generous donation injects valuable
momentum into our shared effort to reduce the global burden
of disease and death caused by tobacco. WHO welcomes the
opportunity to be part of this initiative and looks forward
to working with the other project partners.

    The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is one
of the most widely endorsed treaties in UN history, with
140 Parties.

    Note to Editors: 

    In addition to the WHO, other partner organizations in
the initiative include the Campaign for Tobacco Free-Kids,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foundation,
the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the
World Lung Foundation.

    For further information, please contact:

     Marta Seoane, Communications Officer, 
     Tobacco Free Initiative, WHO
     Tel:    [phone]
     Mobile: [phone]
     Email:  [e-mail]

    All press releases, fact sheets and other WHO media
material may be found at: http://www.who.int .

SOURCE  World Health Organization