World No Tobacco Day Awards 2010

Every year on 31 May, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes individuals and/or organizations for their accomplishments in tobacco control with World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) Awards. The awards recognize international achievements in the fight against the global tobacco epidemic and in the promotion of tobacco control initiatives and policies. They are awarded to individuals and institutions selected for long-term commitment and outstanding contribution in research, advocacy, health promotion, capacity building and other activities that promote and enforce tobacco control.

The awards are respected and a powerful tobacco control tool. Regarded highly worldwide, the awards bring visibility, nationally and internationally, to WHO’s collaborative support of countries’ and civil society’s efforts to control tobacco.

The awards for 2010 are given to the following in the European Region:

Proposed for Special DG award:

Mr RecepTayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of Turkey, Turkey

Prime Minister of Turkey, Mr RecepTayyip Erdogan, is nominated for the Special Director-General WNTD award because of his strong and continuous leadership in tobacco control in Turkey. Remarkable progress of Turkey in the last years in tobacco control has taken place under the leadership of his Government. These developments have placed Turkey among the leaders in tobacco control not only in the WHO European region but also globally. The latest achievement was the 100% smoke-free public places in 2009.

Nominations for WNTD awards and certificate of appreciation:

Mrs Alexandra Charles, Executive Director, 1.6 Million Women Club, Sweden

The 1.6 Million Women Club, was founded by Mrs Alexandra Charles and other strong and influential women in 1998. The title represents the approximate number of women over the age of 45 in Sweden. The founders of the organization set the overarching goal of the organization to improve women’s health. The Club has brought public attention to the dangers in the marketing of products such as light cigarettes and snus to girls and women. The Club has joined the Swedish Association of Health Professionals against Tobacco to promote a “snus-free” EU and to ban point-of-sale advertising in Sweden.

Mrs Sybille Fleitmann, FACT – Frauen aktiv contra tabak e. V, Germany

Mrs Sybille Fleitmann has worked with tobacco control at the German and European level since 1991. She is a high level expert in the areas of the implementation of the WHO FCTC in countries and EU directives related to tobacco control.

Mr Imangali Nurgalievich Tasmagambetov, Mayor of Astana, Kazakhstan

Mr Imangali Nurgalievich Tasmagambetov, former Mayor of the biggest city in Kazakhstan, Almaty, put in place and launched “Smoke-free Almaty” programme in 2005. This is one of the first municipal tobacco control initiatives in this large part of the WHO European Region. This initiative is unique due to the strong support of the municipal authority together with NGO leadership, as well as its coherent intervention strategy and sustained long-term budget.

Dr Aida Ramic-Catak, Tobacco Control National Counterpart, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Dr Aida Ramic-Catakhas served as the tobacco control counterpart for the WHO Regional Office for Europe since 2003. She has actively participated and presented at both international and national conferences. In addition, she has collaborated with neighbouring countries as the Country project manager for the project “Public Health Capacity Building for Strengthening Tobacco Control in SEE countries”.

Dr Natasa Lazarevic, Tobacco Control National Counterpart and Vice-President of the Ministry of Health Tobacco Control Committee, Serbia

Dr Natasa Lazarevic, has been a national champion in tobacco control efforts in Serbia for the past nine years. She has made extraordinary contribution to achievements in tobacco control in Serbia. In addition, she has demonstrated strong advocacy at the decision-makers’ level and highly effective work that resulted in the ratification and implementation of the WHO FCTC and a series of legislative initiatives regarding tobacco advertising, packaging and labelling, sales to and by minors and illicit trade.