World No Tobacco Day 2015 – Eliminating illicit trade of tobacco products
On May 31st the World no Tobacco Day in celebrated in United Nations member countries. The Pan American Health Organization /World Health Organization (PAHO / WHO) and its global partners are leading the campaign, which in 2015 is focused in eliminating illegal trade in tobacco products and highlight the risks associated with tobacco use, advocating effective policies to reduce consumption. In many aspects, such as health, legal and economic, governance and corruption, the illegal trade in tobacco products is a global concern.
The main objectives of the campaign 2015 World No Tobacco Day are:
- To increase awareness on health damage caused by illicit trade of tobacco products, especially the young and low-income groups, because of increased supply and accessibility of these products, due to their low cost.
- To show how health care programs, tobacco control policies such as rising prices and taxes on tobacco products and other measures are undermined by illicit trade in tobacco products.
- To demonstrate how the tobacco industry has been involved in the illegal trade in tobacco products.
- To highlight as the illicit trade in tobacco products is one way to accumulate great wealth to criminal groups who use the proceeds to finance other criminal activities such as drug trafficking, arms and people, and even terrorism.
- To promote the ratification, accession and use of the Elimination Protocol of Illicit Trade of Tobacco Products by all signatories to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and its entry into force through the active involvement of relevant stakeholders.
Scientific and Technical Literature
BIREME/PAHO/WHO selected scientific and technical literature of the Virtual Health Library (VHL) on the topics of the World no Tobacco Day 2015.