Youth Representatives took oath to build a Tobacco free Bangladesh
Active participation of youth is essential for creating a Tobacco free Bangladesh. With this goal in mind the “Anti Tobacco Youth Convention 2024” was held today on Thursday (26 September) at 11 in the morning in Capital’s NGO Affairs Bureau Auditorium at Agargaon organized by the Development Organisation of the Rural Poor (DORP). During the convention, youth representatives took an oath to strongly oppose Tobacco and pledged to raise public awareness from their respective positions.
Owing to pressing commitments, the esteemed Chief Guest, Youth Advisor`Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan was unable to attend the event.
Among the special guests were Md. Saidur Rahman, Director General of the NGO Affairs Bureau, and Md. Mostafizur Rahman, Lead Policy Advisor of CTFK, Bangladesh, and former Chairman of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation.
Md. Saidur Rahman said, We are involved with both Tobacco promoters and anti-tobacco actvists, which creates a conflict of interest. NGOs are currently focused on only six core points. These are insufficient. It is essential that all NGOs unite. Strict regulations should be enforced on smoking in public places. While it may not be possible to completely ban smoking, we can certainly impose restrictions, especially in educational institutions and healthcare centers.
Md. Mostafizur Rahman, Lead Policy Advisor of CTFK Bangladesh stated, From the Language Movement to the Liberation War, the youth have proven their success. So why can't they succeed in Anti Tobacco campaigns? Our farmers are suffering losses, yet the Tobacco business is growing. The youth must take steps to stop this deadly industry. We need to enforce Anti Tobacco laws and increase Taxes and price on Tobacco products.
Veteran freedom fighter Md. Azhar Ali Talukdar, Advisor of DORP expressed his hopes to the Ministry of Youth and Sports for tobacco control. He said, Currently, our involvement with the government is far less than that of tobacco companies. Nevertheless, we are witnessing a significant change. Leadership has passed into the hands of the youth, who are capable of bringing meaningful change. What political parties could not do in the last 15 years youths are addressing that critical issue.
Mohammad Zobair Hasan, Deputy Executive Director of DORP presented the keynote speech under the presidency of Mohammad Nurul Amin, Chairman of DORP. He emphasized the need to present Anti Tobacco proposals to policymakers comprehensively. This will be the true success of the youth convention.
Mohammad Nurul Amin remarked, the country is undergoing a transformation which must be maintained. Families should strive to become Tobacco free. Tobacco is merely a psychological dependency; it offers no benefits. Although achieving a 100% Tobacco free country may be impossible, we must work towards maximizing our success rate.
During the convention, several key proposals were put forward for amending the draft TC law formulated by the Health Services Division in alignment with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). These proposals include eliminating designated smoking areas in all public places and public transport to protect non-smokers, banning the display of Tobacco products at points of sale to prevent their promotion, prohibiting corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities by tobacco companies, banning the import, production, use, and marketing of e-cigarettes or emerging heated Tobacco products, ending the retail and open sale of Tobacco products, and increasing the size of pictorial health warnings on Tobacco packaging from 50% to 90%.
In his welcome speech, DORP's Executive Director AHM Nouman stated, As President of the 'Public Health Movement' Bangladesh Circle, I was present in 2005 at the World Health Organization's conference in Geneva when the Bangladesh government signed the Tobacco Control Act 2005, which has since been awaiting amendments, moving from desk to desk. He urged the advisor to address this issue.
After the discussion session 7 youth champions were awarded crests.
It is noteworthy that since its founding in 1987, DORP has played a pioneering role in various development initiatives in Bangladesh, especially in introducing maternity allowances. To date, DORP has successfully implemented numerous projects across 74 Upazilas, 30 districts, and 5 divisions. In line with the government’s Sustainable Development Goals, DORP is committed to advancing tobacco control laws and working to raise taxes and prices on tobacco products.