Turkey receives third WHO award for tobacco control achievements
WHO
A World No Tobacco Day award for 2012 was presented to Professor Dr Cevdet Erdöl, President of the Health, Family, Labour and Social Affairs Commission, Grand National Assembly of Turkey, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to tobacco control. Professor Erdöl was one of the leaders behind the early ratification of the WHO Framework on Tobacco Control by Turkey in 2004 and the adaptation of a strong tobacco control law in 2008 to make Turkey a smoke-free country.
Every year on 31 May, the World Health Organization recognizes individuals and/or organizations in each of the six WHO regions for their accomplishments in tobacco control with World No Tobacco Day awards. The awards recognize international achievements in the fight against the global tobacco epidemic and in the promotion of tobacco control initiatives and policies.
Turkey is the only country in the world that has received three WHO awards in five years' time on the same public health topic. In 2008, Professor Dr Recep Akdağ, Minister of Health, received the World No Tobacco Day award, and in 2010, His Excellency the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received the World No Tobacco Day Director-General Special Recognition Award.
Turkey's success is observed closely in many countries in the WHO European Region and globally. Several countries have already visited Turkey to learn best practices related to the implementation of tobacco law.
World No Tobacco Day 2012
This year on World No Tobacco Day, WHO focused on the theme "Stop Tobacco industry interference," which highlights the tactics the tobacco industry uses to weaken and undermine global and national tobacco control efforts. WHO stands beside countries like Turkey that are working hard to overcome economic interests in the name of public health.
