By Mandisa Dlamini (Communications Intern)
The importance of World No Tobacco Day
World No Tobacco Day highlights crucial information surrounding key health issues that encourages us to make lifestyle changes and exposes the dangers associated with smoking. Health and wellbeing initiatives encourage good health practices. World Health Organization (WHO) launched World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to raise awareness about the health challenges caused by tobacco products to people, public health, communities and the environment. This yearly celebration informs the public that deaths caused by smoking are largely preventable, making tobacco control a top priority for public health organisations worldwide. It also highlights what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations.
On 31 May WHO and public health champions around the world will come together to celebrate World No Tobacco Day. This year's theme is "We need food, not tobacco". The 2023 global campaign aims to raise awareness on tobacco farming communities about the benefits of moving away from tobacco and growing sustainable crops contributing to the global food crisis instead. These crops will feed millions of families and help them break free of the vicious debt-ridden cycle of tobacco growing. Growing tobacco causes ill health among farmers and farm workers and irreversible environmental loss of precious resources such as water sources, forests, plants and animal species.
Interest groups should develop and share global and regional best practices, as well as educational programmes and information campaigns backed by data and evidence. This will prevent any attempt of the tobacco industry to misinform farmers and promote viable options available to tobacco growers and workers to shift to sustainable alternative livelihoods.
Campaign objectives
The campaign has a number of objectives:
Mobilise governments to end subsidies on tobacco growing and use of savings for crop substitution programmes that support farmers to switch and improve food security and nutrition.
Raise awareness in tobacco farming communities about the benefits of moving away from tobacco and growing sustainable crops.
Support efforts to combat desertification and environmental degradation by decreasing tobacco farming and expose industry efforts to obstruct sustainable livelihoods work.
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control offers specific principles and policy options on the promotion of economically viable alternatives for tobacco workers, growers and individual sellers.
For help to quit smoking call the National Council Against Smoking (NCAS) QUIT Line: 011 720 3145 or email: quit@iafrica.com
You can also contact the Wellbeing People on 0162 2834 834