From May 25th to June 8th in the Documents of International Organizations Reading Room (room 207g) is open a subject book exhibition “Smoking or health: future without addictions” timed to the World No Tobacco Day.
This Day had been observed annually on May 31st. It was proclaimed in 1988 by the World Health Organization (WHO) at the 42nd session of the International Public Health Association (resolution № WHA42.19).
The World No Tobacco Day was established with the purpose of attracting the world community’s attention to the tobacco epidemic and its killing consequences. This day offers the opportunity to promote the fight against tobacco and observe the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Tobacco is the number two cause of death in the world. At present, each tenth adult person in the world dies of tobacco (about 5 million fatal cases per year according to the WHO). Under such conditions, 10 million people may die of tobacco annually by 2020. Half of today’s smokers (about 650 million persons) will eventually die of tobacco. Alarming is the fact that thousands of people who have never smoked in their life annually die of illnesses caused by secondary smoking.
Tobacco is the number fourth risk factor for diseases worldwide. According to the WHO, there are more than 25 diseases caused or aggravated by smoking (cardiovascular, pulmonary and oncological diseases).
Tobacco-related expenses strike economy too. According to the WHO, tobacco consumption annually leads to global dead loss at rate of 200 thousand millions US dollars, and the one third of these losses fall on developing countries. Besides significant amounts that public health services spend on treatment of illnesses caused by tobacco, it is necessary to note that tobacco kills people in the most productive period of their life depriving families of their supporters, while the state loses healthy workers. Furthermore, smoking people are less productive during their life for they are more prone to sickness.
Annual observance of the World No Tobacco Day accentuates that there are a lot of economically effectual tobacco control measures which can be applied in different situations and which can exert a significant influence upon tobacco consumption. The most effective are sociopolitical measures concerning the whole population. These are such measures as prohibition of direct and indirect advertising of tobacco, tobacco tax increase and rising tobacco prices, creation of tobacco-free public premises and workrooms, and print of large and graphic danger warnings of on the packing of tobacco products.
All these measures are stated in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which came into effect on February 27th, 2005. At present, 168 countries have joined the Convention. The Republic of Belarus signed the Convention, and ratified it on September 8th, 2005. Thus our state has undertaken to meet all its conditions at national, regional and international levels in order to constantly and essentially reduce tobacco consumption of and the harmful influence of tobacco smoke. According to the WHO report "The Global Tobacco Epidemic” (2008), 37,4% of adults in Belarus are smokers. Our country ranks among 10 “heavy smoking” countries in Europe. However, according to the same research, most people in Belarus (63,4 %) approve the strict measures for tobacco control. The national program for demographic security for 2007-2010 stipulates that the number of smokers under 15 years of age must be reduced 20 % by 2010, 16-20 years of age –10%, and over 30 years of age – 5%.
The exhibition presents more than 60 documents: books, brochures, periodicals and booklets.
The exposition includes the subject sections as follow:
- healthy lifestyle: prevention of tobacco addiction;
- psychological aspects of tobacco addiction;
- smoking and health;
- life without tobacco: how to stop smoking.
The exhibition is designed for specialists in public health, physicians, pedagogues and social workers, students and also for everyone who is interested in the issues of tobacco addiction and healthy lifestyle.
Useful links
- The WHO Resolution
- Tobacco Control Resource Center
- The WHO Framework Convention ob Tobacco Control
- ”The World No Tobacco Day” on the WHO website
- The report on the global tobacco epidemics – 2009
- The theme of the World NoTobacco Day – 2009
- The WHO Tobacco-Free Initiative
- Additional information on tobacco
- Materials for the WHO European region
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