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• The Union is divided into seven regions to provide a platform for addressing lung health and related issues from a regional perspective. This structure offers members opportunities to network with colleagues who face the same regional challenges and contributes to The Union's…

• The 9th Asia Pacific Region Conference of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (APRC 2024), will take place from 26 – 29 April 2024 at Taipei International Convention Centre in Taipei, Taiwan. With the theme of “Shaping a Safer World through high…

• Asia Pacific Cities Alliance for Tobacco Control and NCDs Prevention (APCAT) was established in 2016 by The Union Asia Pacific Office in Singapore as a network and forum for subnational leaders working to advance tobacco control in the region. Members…

C-6, Qutub Institutional Area
110016 New Delhi
India

Phone: (+91) 11 46 054 400
Phone: (+91) 11 46 054 430 / 429

southeastasia@theunion.org

Around 43% of the adult population use tobacco. Roughly half of tobacco users smoke while the remainder use smokeless forms of tobacco. Men overwhelmingly smoke more (45% of men smoke compared to 1.5% women); smokeless tobacco is particularly popular among women. Bidi, which are…

30% of the world’s smokers live in China. Over 300 million adults in China smoke tobacco. The smoking rate in China is one of the highest in the world, with 52.9% of adult males and 2.4% of adult women being current smokers. This startlingly high rate among men leads to over 1.3…

Despite being a global leader in tobacco control, Brazil still has nearly 23 million smokers (14.7 % of the population). 18.9% of men and 11% of women smoke. Approximately 14.4% of adults are exposed to second-hand smoke in their workplace and 14.7% of adults are exposed to…

Ma-10/41-42, 64th St, between 101st & 102nd St
Chan Mya Thar Zi
Mandalay
Myanmar

Phone: (+95) 9 409973377, (+95)9 944973377

myanmar@theunion.org

• Since 1904, lung health associations have raised millions of dollars in funds for lung diseases by selling Christmas or TB seals. The Union historically honoured these important fundraising and public-awareness campaigns by inviting Heritage and Organisational Members to…

• Here are this year's Christmas Seals entries. Click on the seals to find out more information about each of the entries.

• At the 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Hyderabad, India, Heritage and Organisational Members from seven countries participated in the Christmas Seals Exhibit and Contest. Union members voted for their favourite seals either online or at The Union Village.

• At the 49th Union World Conference on Lung Health in The Hague, The Netherlands, Heritage and Organisational Members from nine countries participated in the Christmas Seals Exhibit and Contest. Union members voted for their favourite seals either online or at The Union…

• At the 48th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Guadalajara, Mexico, Heritage and Organisational Members from all over the world participated in the Christmas Seals Exhibit and Contest.

The Union has helped:
• 3.82 billion people in 37 countries through smoke-free laws
• 3.87 billion people in 28 countries through higher tobacco tax
• 4.11 billion people in 33 countries through graphic health warnings

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Honorary membership is a lifetime status conferred by the Board in recognition of distinguished contributions to TB and lung health or by being awarded the Union Medal. These members serve as informal advisers to The Union.

The title Heritage Member recognises the contribution of long-standing member organisations. The organisations participate in The Union's strategic planning and governance through the General Assembly. Since 2017, no new organisations have been granted this title.

The Union develops, tests, implements and scales up models of care for co-morbid conditions that increase the risk of developing TB, that are prevalent in high TB burden settings, or that adversely affect TB treatment outcomes.

• The Union advocates for increased research and development, and conducts clinical trials to reduce treatment time and improve outcomes for patients in countries with the highest burdens of disease.

  The Union also provides practical and experience-based support to…

• You might also be interested in our work on child and adolescent TB and TB-HIV, TB-diabetes and co-morbidities.

• The Union used an operational research approach to test a shortened treatment regimen for multidrug-resistant TB. The study first demonstrated a greater than 80% success rate in Bangladesh, Cameroon and Niger and The Union continued to work to develop and implement shorter…

• Understand the issues with our fact sheets

The Union Medal, The Union’s highest honour, is awarded to people who have made an outstanding contribution to the control of tuberculosis or lung health by their leadership, scientific research, and/or advocacy. The Medal is presented during the Union World Conference on Lung…

The title of Honorary Member of The Union is granted to a person who has become distinguished through active participation in The Union's activities and the fulfilment of its goals. These members serve as informal advisors to The Union.

The Karel Styblo Public Health Prize acknowledges a health worker or a community organisation for public health contributions to tuberculosis control over a period of 10 years or more. This prize is named in honour of Dr Karel Styblo, Director of Scientific Activities at The…

The Union Scientific Prize acknowledges researchers at any stage of their career for work in lung health published in the past five years leading up to the Union World Conference in which the award is presented. Nominations are paused for this prize until further notice.

Viet Nam has one of the highest smoking rates in the world. One-fourth of the adult population smoke—56% of men and roughly 2% of women over the age of 15. As a consequence, approximately one in eight women and one in five men will die from a tobacco-related illness. An…

The Union Young Investigator Prize was established in 2011 to acknowledge a researcher for work in lung health published in the past five years leading up to the awarding year’s Union World Conference. He/she was aged 35 years or younger at the time of the publications.…

17.3 million adults (28% of the population) use tobacco in the Philippines. Men (48%) have higher rates of smoking than women (9%). 55% of youth (ages 13-15) and 40% of adults are exposed to second-hand smoke in their homes. As a consequence, tobacco kills approximately 87,…

Over 22 million people (20% of adults) in Pakistan smoke tobacco. 32% of men and 6% of women smoke. However, smokeless forms of tobacco, such as paan, ghutka and naswar, are also popular. More than 1 in four young people (aged 13-15) are exposed to second-hand smoke in their…

Nearly 14 million Mexicans—17% of the population over 15 years old—smoke. One in every four men and one in every thirteen women smoke tobacco. Roughly 51,500 Mexicans die each year from tobacco-related diseases, comprising 10% of all deaths. Approximately 20% of adults are…

The Stephen Lawn Memorial Fund was established in 2016 through a global partnership between the TB Centre of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (UK), the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, at the University of  Cape Town, South Africa and The Union, also supported by The…

• The Princess Chichibu Memorial TB Global Award recognises outstanding contributions to global TB control. It is awarded by the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association (JATA).

• The Princess Chichibu Memorial TB Global Award is presented annually in memory of Princess Chichibu of Japan by the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association (JATA). It is awarded at the Union World Conference the year following the year in which the nomination is made. Further…

• 2024: Dr Nguyen Viet Nhung

  A/Professor Nhung was awarded the 2024 award for his contribution to transforming the landscape of TB and lung health prevention, care and research in Vietnam. His research has also had a profound influence on strategies to control…

61 million Indonesians smoke; 67.4% of men and 4.5% of women use tobacco. As a consequence, more than 225,000 people die from tobacco-related diseases every year. More than 97 million Indonesian non-smokers are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke. It is estimated that…