Stakeholders who have made out...

Stakeholders who have made outstanding contributions to tobacco control were recognized and awarded.

21/11/2018 A.D.

A recognition and award forum was held in the city for stakeholders who have made outstanding contributions to tobacco control, and a discussion was held on the results recorded in tobacco control work, and the areas of focus that should be focused on in the future.

The General Manager of the Authority, Dr. Muluembet Tadesse, was present at the forum and stated that the results recorded so far in tobacco control in the city are the results of a strong stakeholder coordination process, and that the Tobacco Control Proclamation issued to further strengthen it should be fully implemented by supporting the guidelines and regulations.

In addition, they indicated that further strengthening tobacco control in hotels and entertainment establishments, understanding and exposing the misleading marketing and promotional strategies used by the tobacco industry, and enabling the public to understand the harmful effects of tobacco and become active participants in the control work are issues that need to be worked on with attention in the future.

The Deputy Director of the Control Sector, Ato Enga Erekta, who attended the forum, explained the concrete changes recorded in the tobacco control sector in recent years, and stated that 79 percent of entertainment establishments are free from tobacco smoke, the number of smokers has decreased from 5.3 percent to 4.6 percent, the creation of smoke-free model villages, and the increase in the number of second-hand smokers asking the public to “not smoke.”

Noting that the results achieved were the result of strong coordination among stakeholders, he stressed that this cooperation should continue to be strengthened in the future.

Finally, recognition and awards were presented to the government, development partners and other stakeholders who have made outstanding contributions in the tobacco control sector, and a call was made to continue the joint effort to protect Ethiopia from the harms of tobacco in the future through coordinated partnership.