Speech by Dr Maria Cristina Profili, WHO Representative in Turkey

Award Ceremony: presenting the 2012 WHO World No Tobacco Control for Contribution to Global Tobacco Control

31 May 2012

Your Excellency Health Minister, President of Health, Family, Labour and Social Affairs Commission, Grand National Assembly of Turkey, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Tobacco is the leading global cause of preventable death and kills nearly 6 million people every year. We know what works to curb the tobacco epidemic. The actions needed are spelled out in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Every day WHO works with governments and civil society to implement the Convention and save current and future generations from the devastating consequences of tobacco consumption.

This year on World No Tobacco Day, WHO has stepped up a gear with a theme on: “Stop Tobacco industry interference in tobacco control” that highlights the tactics the tobacco industry uses to weaken and undermine global and national tobacco control efforts to market its harmful products.

Recently the industry has become even more aggressive and direct in its threat to tobacco control by taking governments to court. These attacks on the WHO FCTC threaten global progress we have made in tobacco control.

Governments and individuals must raise awareness about, monitor and stop tobacco industry interference. Governments should limit their involvement with the tobacco industry, insist on transparency and accuracy of all information provided by the tobacco industry and accept no financial support especially any activities that the industry claims as “socially responsible”.

WHO recommend governments work together both with countries and internationally for a coordinated approach to monitoring interaction with tobacco industry, supports political leaders to promote and approve tobacco control laws and regulations under the WHO FCTC and to become an ally in this fight.

Turkey takes tobacco control seriously, and under the Prime Ministry leadership has made excellent progress in controlling the tobacco epidemic. We thank you Minister of Health for the implementation of a comprehensive tobacco control law that has already saved thousands of lives. WHO stands beside countries that are working hard to overcome economic interests in the name of public health.

It took courage and insight to get this far. Success of Turkey, is observed closely in many countries in the region and globally. Several countries have already visited Turkey to learn best practices and implementation of tobacco law. We salute all these efforts.

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Ladies and gentlemen,

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 (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.

This is the third WHO award that the Government of Turkey will received on tobacco control. In 2008, Professor Dr Recep AKDAĞ, Minister of Health received the World No Tobacco Day award. In 2010, His Excellency the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received the World No Tobacco Day Director-General Special Recognition Awards.

This year, on behalf of Dr Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, it’s a great pleasure and honour for me to present the 2012 World No Tobacco Day award to Professor Dr Cevdet Erdöl, President of Health, Family, Labour and Social Affairs Commission, Grand National Assembly of Turkey in recognition of his outstanding contribution to tobacco control.

Turkey is the only country in the world that received three WHO awards in 5 years time on same public health topic.

Honorable Professor Erdöl, you have been one of the leaders for the early ratification of the WHO Framework on Tobacco Control by Turkey in 2004 and the adaptation of strong tobacco control law in your country in 2008 to make Turkey a smoke-free country.

You were the driving force behind the elaboration and adaptation of the national tobacco control law. These actions lead your country in implementing the complete ban on smoking in public places in Turkey, and to become one of the front runners in the global tobacco control which resulted in saving life of your citizens.

We believe that your continued efforts will help to overcome the global tobacco epidemic that threatens the lives of hundreds of millions of men, women and children during this century and, on behalf of Dr Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organization and Ms Zsuzsanna Jakab, Regional Director for World Health Organization of the European Region, I wish you every success in your future work at the Parliament to protect your population against tobacco.

Thank you Professor Erdöl.