Today, The Union launches an important new resource to provide governments and public health practitioners with the tools they need to effectively implement tobacco control laws.
The Tobacco Control Implementation Hub aims to improve implementation of tobacco control laws, increase compliance and ultimately protect people from the harms of tobacco.
“While many countries have made excellent progress in passing tobacco control laws, governments face many barriers in implementing and enforcing those laws,” said Dr. Gan Quan, Director of Tobacco Control for The Union, emphasising the importance of the Hub. “When such laws are not well implemented, they do not protect people and can lead to a lack of trust from citizens. The tobacco industry also continues to interfere and undermine governments as they implement these laws.”
The Union provides support for countries facing just these challenges and, building on its network of leading experts in tobacco control, has developed this new Implementation Hub to empower city officials and the tobacco control community.
The Hub will be continually updated with the latest practical tools, technical resources, guidance, evidence and case studies, acting as a library and technical guide.
“Governments face tough challenges in ensuring their tobacco control laws are implemented effectively. With this new Implementation Hub, The Union is leveraging its expertise to bring together the right tools and guidance in one place,” said Dr. Jessica Leighton from Bloomberg Philanthropies, “The technical assistance available to city governments and key stakeholders will play an important role in improving compliance with tobacco control laws and protecting populations from the harms of tobacco.”
The Hub has five areas: a fully searchable resource library, a breakdown of key policy areas and elements of implementation, country hubs with guidance in local languages, and a directory of global experts. It includes signposting to key resources from trusted partners such as WHO, PAHO, CDC, Vital Strategies, Johns Hopkins University, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and more.
The Tobacco Control Implementation Hub was developed by The Union with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies as part of The Union’s Global Implementation Programme.
The Global Implementation Programme promotes evidence-based implementation and enforcement of tobacco control policies in low- and middle-income countries around the world to combat the global tobacco epidemic. The programme launched in June 2018 and is supporting seven cities across China, Indonesia, India and Pakistan to increase compliance with smokefree laws and tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) bans at points-of-sale. The Institute for Global Tobacco Control at Johns Hopkins University supports the programme by conducting pre- and post-compliance surveys in each city. The programme is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies under the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use.