Turkmenistan intends to become tobacco-free country by 2025
By Trend
Turkmenistan has set an ambitious goal to become a tobacco-free country by 2025, Kristina Mauer-Stender, Program Manager for Tobacco Control in WHO Regional Office for Europe, said in an interview to Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper.
The number of smokers will not exceed five percent of the adult population of the country.
"I would like to stress that it is very important for other countries to learn from Turkmenistan’s positive experience,” she said.
Turkmenistan has a leading position in the fight against tobacco smoking. As of April 2016, the lowest smoking rate (8.3 percent) in the WHO European Region was registered in the country.
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was adopted on May 21, 2003 at the World Health Assembly and entered into force on February 27, 2005.
Turkmenistan ratified this international document in 2011. Turkmenistan adopted a national action plan for tobacco control, which includes a number of directions. Among those directions are raising public awareness on this issue, strengthening relevant legislation and regulations, governing the sale of tobacco products to minors, as well as strengthening cooperation with international organizations.
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