From 16 May to 12 June, a book exhibition "No Tobacco Day, a life without tobacco!" dedicated to World No Tobacco Day runs in the Documents of International Organizations Reading Room (2nd floor, room 207g).
This day was proclaimed in 1988 by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 42nd World Health Assembly (resolution № WHA42.19). Since then, it has been celebrated annually on 31 May.
The WHO established World No Tobacco Day to draw attention to the global tobacco epidemic and its lethal outcomes.
Tobacco use is the second cause of death worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) tobacco use is currently responsible for killing one in 10 adults worldwide. The tobacco epidemic kills nearly 6 million people each year. This figure includes 600 000 non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke. All of these people die from lung cancer, heart disease and other diseases. Tobacco use causes about 90 % of all lung cancers, 75 % of chronic bronchites and 35 % of coronary heart diseases. The degree of a risk to die from cardiovascular disease by 58 % higher among smokers than non-smokers. Unless urgent action is taken, the annual death toll could rise to more than eight million by 2030.
The annual observance of World No Tobacco Day again focuses public attention on the fact that there are a lot of effective tobacco control measures that can be used in different conditions and that can have a significant impact on the consumption of tobacco. All these measures are determined in the provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). It is the basic document that includes the most important areas for tobacco control in the world.
The Convention came into force on 27 February, 2005. Since then, it has become one of the most widely embraced treaties in the history of the United Nations with 170 Parties. Belarus signed the Convention on 17 June, 2004 and ratified on 8 September, 2005. Thus, our government is committed to take all its conditions at the national, regional and international levels in order to reduce continually and substantially the consumption of tobacco. At present, the country approved the Concept of the State Policy on Combating Tobacco Consumption in 2011–2015 and the Comprehensive Plan of Action for Tobacco Control in 2011–2015. The Ministry of Health in collaboration with government agencies and organizations, as well as with public societies systematically works on the prevention of smoking: the country banned advertising of tobacco products, modified in accordance with the requirements of the WHO FCTC requirements for their packaging, works on the establishment of territories free from smoking, smoking is prohibited in some public places.
The theme for World No Tobacco Day 2013 is: ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. Evidence shows that comprehensive advertising bans lead to reductions in the numbers of people starting and continuing smoking. Statistics show that banning tobacco advertising and sponsorship is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce tobacco demand and thus a tobacco control “best buy”.
The exhibition presents more than 60 documents: books, brochure, periodicals and booklets.
The exhibition includes the following sections:
- a healthy lifestyle: preventive measures on tobacco addiction;
- psychological aspects of tobacco addiction;
- smoking and its effects on health;
- a life without tobacco: how to quit tobacco use.
The exhibition will be useful for specialists in the field of public health, for health workers, teachers and social workers, students and anyone interested in the problem of tobacco addiction issues and a healthy lifestyle.
Useful links
Campaigns of previous years
- Thematic review of the health effects of tobacco
- WHO official website in Russian
- WHO Tobacco Free Initiative
- WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic
- WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
- Implementing tobacco control
- Tobacco: Bulletin articles
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