Boosting public health and SDGs through tobacco control

“Investing in the promotion of public health is an investment in the development of our country,” said Dr. Akaki Zoidze, Chairman of the Georgia Parliament’s Health and Social Affairs Committee.

Addressing delegates at the eighth session of the Conference of Parties to the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC), Dr. Zoidze discussed the challenges Georgia faces in responding to the public health issues caused by smoking.

Georgia has the second highest smoking prevalence in Europe and sixth highest in the world, according to research conducted by the World Health Organization. Over one-third of the population in Georgia are smokers, including more than 50 percent of men and above 10 percent of women. Georgia has also seen a recent trend toward the age of smokers from 18 years to as young as 13-16 years of age. An estimated 11,400 deaths annually are due to tobacco use.

Thanks to a growing political commitment in his country to implement tobacco control measures, Dr. Zoidze said, Georgia is beginning to see positive trends in tobacco control through new legislation and regulations, including the raising of taxes on tobacco products, smoking restrictions in public areas and limiting access to tobacco products.

To support these efforts, the FCTC Secretariat has chosen Georgia among 15 Parties to the FCTC that are receiving intensive technical support through the FCTC 2030 project. This new initiative of the Convention Secretariat in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) aims at assisting low- and middle-income countries to address tobacco-related public health challenges and barriers to development.

1 / 5

 

 

 

Smoke free Campaign Tbilisi

 

 

Tobacco advertising being removed in Tbilisi

 

Remove tobacco advertising Tbilisi

 

Secretariat of the WHO FCTC

“Smoking is the single most important danger to public health in Georgia,” said Dr. Zoidze. “Tobacco control is important not only for the promotion of national efforts to reach Sustainable Development Goal 3, but also for environmental protection, education and other development goals.”

FCTC 2030 assistance has also contributed to the effective implementation and enforcement of Georgia’s new tobacco control law, which was adopted in 2017 and went into effect in May 2018.

“The FCTC 2030 has provided Georgia critical support to advance the anti-smoking regulations, including a total ban in all enclosed public spaces and a total ban on tobacco advertisement, sponsorship and promotion,” said Dr. Zoidze.

“This new law represents a historic step forward in Georgia and will make an enormous contribution to saving lives, promoting public health and supporting Georgia’s development targets.”

FCTC 2030 to date has supported training programs to enforce the new tobacco control law, a comprehensive assessment of tobacco use and health-related challenges, and public awareness campaigns to communicate about the dangers of smoking and to encourage cessation. Under the slogan “Get free from tobacco smoke!”, a public education campaign was launched by the Georgia Parliament in February 2018.

Dr. Zoidze, himself a heavy smoker until he began taking a leading role in the anti-smoking campaign in Georgia, said “Tobacco is the only product, which if used according to purpose it was made for, is harmful to your health. Tobacco in any quantity can kill you. This is the message we are trying to communicate to people through our campaign.”