Tobacco control
Tobacco is responsible for close to five million deaths per annum globally. As an advocate of the reduction of the prevalence of risk factors associated with cardiovascular deaths, the World Heart Federation is naturally in favour of strong limitations to active and passive smoking.
The World Heart Federation has already implemented, alongside other organizations, its own code of practice that aims at promoting tobacco limitations within the organization itself.
The World Heart Federation and its member organizations are also intensively involved in multiple tobacco control advocacy activities.
World Heart Federation Code of practice
The World Heart Federation has adopted a code of conduct and supports its members to do the same.
To read more about World Heart Federation code of practice:
To know more about the World Heart Federation members’ actions, please read the documents below:
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)
The FCTC is designed to protect present and future generations from the consequences of consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke by strengthening tobacco control initiatives around the world. An initiative of the WHO, the FCTC was unanimously adopted by the WHO’s Member States in 2003.
Read the press release announcing the launch of the FCTC:
The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is governed by the Conference of the Parties – i.e. all countries that have ratified the Framework Convention. The Conference of the Parties met for the first time in Geneva from 6 to 17 February 2006. The World Heart Federation together with other members of civil society played a key role in assuring a strong Framework Convention and in the success of the session. The Parties agreed to begin work on the development of protocols to deal with cross-border advertising and illicit trade (smuggling).
World No Tobacco Day
The Member States of the World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day in 1987.The day is observed every year on May 31st. It draws global attention to the tobacco epidemic and to the preventable death and disease tobacco causes. It aims to reduce the 3.5 million yearly deaths from tobacco-related health problems. It is a unique opportunity to engage people, countries, organizations and other groups in the struggle against tobacco.
The theme for World No Tobacco Day 2007 is “Smoke-Free Environments”. It is alarming that hundreds of thousands of people who have never smoked die each year from diseases caused by breathing second-hand tobacco smoke. Neither ventilation nor filtration, alone or in combination, can reduce exposure levels of tobacco smoke indoors to levels that are considered acceptable, even in terms of odor, much less health effects. The evidence demands an immediate, decisive response to protect the health of all people.
Global Smoke Free Partnership
A new multi-partner initiative, the Global Smoke Free Partnership was formed in 2006. The goal of this partnership is to promote effective smoke-free air policies worldwide. The partnership works by helping practitioners and supporters of smoke-free policies to access the evidence for smoke-free policies, request assistance from a network of experts, take action in support of smoke-free policies. The partnership is coordinated by the American Cancer Society and the Framework Convention Alliance and brings together various organizations, among them the World Heart Federation, which advocates for the reinforcement of anti-tobacco policies.
Passive smoking
The World Heart Federation and the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) have gathered together to fight second-hand smoke at a global level. This started through the 2003 World No Tobacco Day, when both organizations seized the opportunity to push everyone to claim the right to live without tobacco.
Read more about the UICC/ World Heart Federation initiative in the following press releases:
Donated by EFSCW to support us in raising awareness for the dangers of drug abuse including tobacco with a special focus on children and youth particularly at risk.