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Thursday, 23 May 2024
World No Tobacco Day 2024
Post presser files and supporting documentation
for the Virtual Press Conference held on 23 May
Dear journalists,
Please find below supporting documentation for the virtual press conference held today at WHO headquarters on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day [https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-no-tobacco-day], marked on 31 May, with the release of the tobacco industry interference report “Hooking the next generation: how the tobacco industry captures young customers”.
Press Release
Tobacco and nicotine industry tactics addict youth for life [https://www.who.int/news/item/23-05-2024-tobacco-and-nicotine-industry-tactics-addict-youth-for-life]
Tobacco industry interference report
Speakers at the VPC were
Dr Ruediger KRECH, Director, Health Promotion at WHO (speaking from Geneva)Jorge ALDAY, Director, STOP at Vital Strategies (speaking from New York)Given KAPOLYO, Global Youth Ambassador of the Year, Zambia (speaking from Zambia)
Video files:
World No Tobacco Day 2024 – VPC – VIDEO mp4
[https://who.canto.global/b/G254T]
Audio files:
World No Tobaco Day 2024 – VPC – AUDIO mp3
[https://who.canto.global/b/PTVT9]
Soundbites:
[https://who.canto.global/b/LLEGS]
Speaking notes for Dr Krech:
WNTD Press Conference
23 May 2024
Talking points for Dr Rüdiger Krech, Director Health Promotion
Every year millions of young people fall victim to the tobacco industry’s manipulative tactics. Our new report, ‘Hooking the Next Generation’, exposes a disturbing trend: e-cigarette use among young people is exceeding that of adults in many countries and globally, an estimated
37 million children aged 13–15 years use tobacco.
The industry is exploiting digital and social media, delivery apps, and other innovative ways to reach our children. At the same time they are continuing with old tricks such as giving away free samples to recruit a new generation as customers. Tobacco and related industries use child friendly flavors like cotton candy and bubble gum to attract young consumers: there are over 16,000 flavours of e-cigarettes on some markets. Many products have sleek and colourful designs which appeal to children and adolescents. And while these products are aggressively marketed to young people, the industry continues to claim that these products are intended for adults. But the industry’s goal is clear: replace tobacco users lost to death and disease with a fresh wave of users trapped in addiction.
We can’t stand by and watch this happen. This World No Tobacco Day, young people across the world raise their voices and demand change.
It is the responsibility of adults to protect children. It’s therefore high time for all governments to protect current and future generations from the devastating effects of tobacco use by adopting strong measures in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control:
· implementing and enforcing comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship as well as addressing digital and cross-border marketing and the depiction of tobacco in entertainment media. Regulators should hold the industry, marketers, digital platforms and media owners accountable for breaching such bans;
· raising prices and taxes on tobacco, nicotine and related products to make them less affordable;
· banning sales of these products to minors and enforce such bans; and
· taking proactive measures to protect health policy from the vested interests of the tobacco industry. This means taking a whole-of-government approach to protect policy from industry influence.
On this World No Tobacco Day, the World Health Organization commends the courage of the many young people around the world who use their voices and stand up against the tobacco industry. We invite young people to consider joining this movement that can create a world where tobacco is nothing more than a relic of the past—a world where every individual has the opportunity to live a life free from the harms of tobacco and nicotine use.
Media contacts: