Dubai, 6 June 2012 (WAM) - Dr. Mahmoud Fikri, Assistant Undersecretary for Health Policies at the Ministry of Health opened today the 14th Gulf Tobacco Control Symposium which is hosted by the UAE this year under the patronage of Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Acting Minister of Health.

The symposium was attended by Dr. Salem Al Darmaki, Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Tawfiq Khoja, General Director, Executive office of the GCC Health Ministers' Council, representatives from World Health Organization and UNICEF, Dr. Mariam Al Shanasi, Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment and Water as well as a number of officials from different health authorities and sectors.

At the opening of the symposium, Dr. Fikri said: "Tobacco consumption has become a general issue internationally and leads to serious health consequences, social, economic and environmental results. Such an epidemic became a threat to the communities' public health and a direct threat to individuals and families.

Currently, the world is witnessing an enormous increase in the production, marketing and consumption of tobacco in all its forms. According to the statistics of the World Health Organization, the number of smokers increased to 1.3 billion people all over the world".

He stated that the number is expected to increase to 1.6 billion smokers. The world health organization statistics reveal that tobacco is the main death cause. About 6 million people die of tobacco every year of which 600 million people die of negative smoking.

The statistics of the world health organization show that about 68% of people die of non-infectious diseases: heart diseases, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, allergy and pulmonary infection. The number of loss lives is expected to increase to 8 million by 2030.

The GCC council suffers from the dissemination of tobacco among the younger generation. The number of smoking consumers was increased to (28.1% males) and (2.4% females) on 2003. The tobacco consumption international survey among the youth and adolescents on 2005 revealed that the number of adolescents who consume about 28.8% all forms of tobacco.

The dangerous situation of tobacco consumption all over the world led the communities to take the necessary steps to face this epidemic by issuing the framework agreement of the world health organization concerning tobacco control; a transitional point in setting up the strategies, policies and guidelines of tobacco control.

The authentication of the GCC countries to the agreement under the guidance of the executive office of the GCC health ministers' council is the best practice for fighting this epidemic.

Tobacco control is at the top agenda of the GCC heath ministers' council in pursuit of further coordination and efforts towards the successful plans and programs among all GCC countries. The meeting issued several important decisions as well as the gulf model act for tobacco control which helped in unifying the gulf countries in issuing a unified gulf rules to control tobacco.

Dr. Fikri emphasized that the United Arab Emirates made great efforts in setting up active strategies to protect people from tobacco, provide tobacco cessation services, put pictorial warning images on tobacco packets, raise awareness among community members, prevent tobacco promotional ads and raised the awareness of community members o the dangers of using tobacco through continuous health awareness campaigns.

Since 1978, the United Arab Emirates prohibited the promotional advertisements of tobacco products in cooperation with competent health authorities to impose taxes on all forms of tobacco.

Unfortunately, tobacco industry continues to alter its tactics and plans to set back tobacco control measures therefore the world health organization approved the theme of the world no tobacco day coinciding 31st May every year to be "Stop Tobacco Industry Interference".

We reassure the activation of article five of the world health organization framework agreement regarding tobacco control which defines several recommendations to prevent tobacco industries to interfere in the public health policies.

Furthermore, Dr. Tawfiq Khoja, Director General, Executive Office of the GCC Health Ministers' Council lauded the efforts of the executive office and Gulf Ministries of Health in controlling tobacco noting that the current challenges aim for implementing the national programs and plans to fight tobacco while the future expectations aim for achieving excellent results towards decreasing the dissemination of smoking and increasing the awareness of community members of its dangers.

Dr. Khoja then reviewed the efforts of the executive office in controlling tobacco noting that the council issued the gulf tobacco control plan and its implementation strategy in Arabic and English languages and was circulated to the competent health authorities in the region.

The executive office also issued the third issue of the "tobacco control decisions book" in Arabic and English languages and coordinated with the EMRO regional official, Canadian government and GCC Meteorology Authority to obtain the health warning pictorial images to be put on the tobacco packets as one of the gulf measurement standards for tobacco and its products. The council also issued the technical by-laws of all tobacco products and forms and began application since 9th August 2012.

The executive office continues its efforts to intervene tobacco industry companies to prevent their efforts in stopping the application of the framework tobacco control agreement.

Dr. Khoja also noted the signing of the cooperation protocol between the regional office to the tobacco control framework agreement and the executive office in June 2010 and its efforts to activate all the articles of the agreement.

Furthermore, the gulf tobacco control committee in cooperation with the executive office of the GCC health ministers' council prepared the tobacco control implementation strategy plan and a national committee chaired by Bahraini Minister of Health to prevent smoking in public places, government departments, ministries and hospitals in the region.

Several awareness campaigns were organized by experts from the world health organization in this regard.

The UAE also issued federal law no 15 of 2009 to impose the dissemination of tobacco and all its products or forms to the UAE.

At the end of the ceremony, Dr. Salem Al Darmaki, Acting Undersecretary, Dr. Mahmoud Fikri, Assistant Undersecretary for Health Policies and Dr. Tawfiq Khoja, Director General, Executive Office of the GCC Health Ministers' Council honored the gulf regional office, world health organization and organizing committee.

Furthermore, Dr. Heba Fouad, Representative of the Middle Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, World Health Organization lauded the efforts of the UAE and GCC council fighting tobacco noting that the world health organization urges all ministries of health in the GCC countries and eastern Mediterranean region to direct all its efforts to stand in front of tobacco industry interference by implementing strict laws and measures which are the only way to address the tobacco interference.

WAM/MAB