UN chief calls for more efforts to end illicit trade in cheaper tobacco products

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Sunday called for more efforts to put an end to the illicit trade in cheaper tobacco products in order to advance public health and sustainable development.

The secretary-general made the appeal in his message on the World No Tobacco Day, which falls on May 31.

"I call for boosting the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to eradicate the illicit trade in cheaper tobacco products which tend to lure younger and poorer groups into addiction while depleting the ability of States to charge taxes that could support health services," Ban said.

"By striking at the criminal gangs and tobacco companies that engage in this reprehensible trade, we will advance public health and sustainable development," he added.

From many angles, the illicit trade of tobacco products is a major global concern, including health, legal and economic, governance and corruption.

The illicit tobacco market may account for as much as one in every 10 cigarettes consumed globally, according to studies, including information supplied by the global customs community.

Illicit trade is not a problem just in high-income countries. Almost all countries throughout the world are subject to it in some form or another.

In response to the threat posed by illicit tobacco trade, the international community negotiated and adopted in November 2012 the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.

Every year on May 31, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners mark World No Tobacco Day, to highlight the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocate for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption.

World No Tobacco Day is intended to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption around the globe. The day is further aimed at drawing attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to negative health effects, which currently lead to nearly 6 million deaths each year worldwide, including 600,000 of which are the result of non- smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.

The member states of the WHO created World No Tobacco Day in 1987. In the past 20 years, the day has been met with both enthusiasm and resistance around the globe from governments, public health organizations, smokers, growers, and the tobacco industry. Endite