70 million against cigarettes
International Fund Against Tobacco Consumption agreed
February 16, 2024, 11:38 a.m
Smoking can be deadly. The WHO has been looking for ways to dissuade consumers from cigarettes for years. Now the international community is deciding on a fund to support the whole thing.
The international community wants to strengthen the fight against smoking with a joint fund worth millions. The creation of this fund was agreed on Thursday at a conference in Panama, said Adriana Blanco from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The fund should initially be funded with 75 million dollars (almost 70 million euros) and improve global cooperation in the fight against tobacco consumption. According to the information, the money for the fund will be made available by the donor countries through interest-free loans. It is managed by the World Bank.
According to the WHO, more than eight million people worldwide die from tobacco every year, including 1.3 million passive smokers. The number of smokers in Germany has been declining slightly since the beginning of the 2000s. According to the WHO, in 2020 it is around 17 percent; in 2000 it was 22 percent. The WHO also assumes that the number will continue to fall in the coming years. Smoking increases the risk of cancer and stroke, but can also accelerate the aging process.
The fund now agreed to combat this health threat was launched at a conference within the framework of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This convention, which has been in force since 2005, has been signed by 183 countries.