On 1 May 2023, the traditional month of tobacco control started in Ashgabat, which is held from 1 to 31 May and is timed to coincide with the World No-Tobacco Day.
The first day of events aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of tobacco use, affordable smoking cessation services, tobacco control measures and protection of youth and children from passive smoke was organized by the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan in partnership with the Country Office of the World Health Organization in the capital’s Ashgabat Park.
Every year, on 31 May, WHO and partners celebrate World No-Tobacco Day, drawing attention to the health risks associated with tobacco use and effective policy measures to reduce tobacco consumption.
Turkmenistan is rightfully considered a leader in the WHO European Region in tobacco control.
In 2019, at the WHO Ashgabat Conference on the Control of the Spread of Noncommunicable Diseases, it was reported that as a result of effective measures taken by the Government, the number of smokers in Turkmenistan decreased to 3.4% of the population.
Since then, the National Program for the Transformation of Turkmenistan into a tobacco-free country for 2022-2025 has been adopted. And it is likely that the number of smokers in the country is steadily declining, given the extensive measures to promote a healthy lifestyle and growing popularity of fitness culture among all age groups of population. This means that Turkmenistan will achieve its goal and become a tobacco-free country by 2025. ///nCa, 2 May 2023 [photo credit – WHO Turkmenistan]