WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY 2017- TOBACCO: A THREAT TO DEVELOPMENT
World No Tobacco Day is observed around the world every year on 31st May. The day is observed to encourage self-denial of all forms of Tobacco consumption around the globe. The day is further intended to draw attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and its negative health effects, which currently lead to millions of deaths each year worldwide. The member states of the World Health Organisation (WHO) created World No Tobacco Day in 1987. Since then, the day has been met with both enthusiasm and resistance around the globe from governments, public health organizations, smokers, growers, and the tobacco industry.
Each year, the WHO selects a theme for the day in order to create a more unified global message for World No Tobacco Day. This year the theme is Tobacco: A threat to Development. The WHO oversees the creation and distribution of publicity materials related to the theme, including brochures, fliers, posters, websites, and press releases.
Tobacco use kills at least one out of the 10 people worldwide every year whereas the number of tobacco user all around the world is 1.3 billion. We can control around 100 million of premature deaths of people by reducing the tobacco use, which is possible by applying all the anti-smoking efforts and measures such as banning the TV or radio advertising for tobacco, launching new and effective public awareness campaigns displaying dangers and necessity to stop smoking in the public places.
World NO TOBACCO DAY Themes
For effectively celebrating the World no Tobacco Day all over the world, WHO selects a special theme every year.Year wise themes from 1987 to the 2014 are listed below:
The theme for 1987 was “1st Smoke-free Olympics (1988 Olympic Winter Games – Calgary)”.
The theme for 1988 was “Tobacco or Health: choose health”.
The theme for 1989 was “Women and tobacco: the female smoker: at added risk”.
The theme for 1990 was “Childhood and youth without tobacco: growing up without tobacco”.
The theme for 1991 was “Public places and transport: better be tobacco free”.
The theme for 1992 was “Tobacco free workplaces: safer and healthier”.
The theme for 1993 was “Health services: our windows to a tobacco free world”.
The theme for 1994 was “Media and tobacco: get the message across”.
The theme for 1995 was “Tobacco costs more than you think”.
The theme for 1997 was “United for a tobacco free world”.
The theme for 1996 was “Sport and art without tobacco: play it tobacco free”.
The theme for 1998 was “Growing up without tobacco”.
The theme for 1999 was “Leave the pack behind”.
The theme for 2000 was “Tobacco kills, don’t be duped”.
The theme for 2001 was “Second-hand smoke kills”.
The theme for 2002 was “Tobacco free sports”.
The theme for 2003 was “Tobacco free film, tobacco free fashion”.
The theme for 2004 was “Tobacco and poverty, a vicious circle”.
The theme for 2005 was “Health professionals against tobacco”.
The theme for 2006 was “Tobacco: deadly in any form or disguise”.
The theme for 2007 was “Smoke free inside”.
The theme for 2008 was “Tobacco-free youth”.
The theme for 2009 was “Tobacco health warnings”.
The theme for 2010 was “Gender and tobacco with an emphasis on marketing to women”.
The theme for 2011 was “The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control”.
The theme for 2012 was “Tobacco industry interference”.
The theme for 2013 was “Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship”.
The theme for 2014 was “raise taxes on tobacco”.
The theme for 2015 was “Stop illicit trade of tobacco products”.
The theme for 2016 was “Get ready for plain packaging”.
The theme for 2017 is “Tobacco – a threat to development”.
