The world’s Wealthiest Men to Help Anti-smoking Campaigns in Poorer Regions
Published on March 12, 2010 5:01 AM
Two of the wealthiest people in the world and regular entrants of the Forbes billionaires list, owning fortunes similar to the gross domestic product of many third-world countries, are teaming up to initiate campaigns against the tobacco products consumption.
Bill Gates, the richest man in the world, according to the 2009 Forbes List and the co-owner of Microsoft, and Michael Bloomberg, the eights richest man in the USA and New York City Mayor, are investing $500 million in order to diminish tobacco consumption in India and China and try to crack down the real “tobacco epidemic” in African countries.
Both billionaires are using their charity foundations to influence of the officials in South America and Asia to hike tobacco taxes, impose anti-smoking policies and raise awareness on health complications related to smoking.
Last week, the World Health Organization announced the launch of a new program focused on decreasing tobacco use in Africa. The program is funded by a $10 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. Its objective is to stop the spread of tobacco use in Africa as it happened in other troubled regions of the world. The program will open in 46 African countries to decrease tobacco consumption by developing laws, such as smoking bans and advertisement restrictions; as well as encouraging a smoke-free life, along with the landmark Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have sponsored anti-smoking commercials shown on Chinese TV during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The advertisement with a slogan -“Increase patriotism even more, Love a smoke-free Olympics,” was a part of the awareness program targeting Chinese smokers that currently account for 350 million people and consume approximately 30% of the worldwide cigarette production. Moreover, being the world’s largest cigarette market, China’s tobacco market is larger than the next six national tobacco markets combined.
Just two years ago, smoking was unrestricted and it was common for Chinese smokers to light up anywhere they want to, including trains, bars, offices and public transport.
Though China does not have a uniform nationwide anti-smoking legislation, many local assemblies have passed their own initiatives, banning or restricting smoking in public. Recently, China’s government announced its intention to reduce smoking, by implementing new rigorous anti-smoking policies, and strengthen the existing ones.
Spokesperson for Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said that they have been delighted by Chinese government’s decision. Although they do not expect prompt results of the anti-smoking campaign, in the long term run the policy would dramatically reduce the smoking rates in the country.
One of the major provisions of anti-smoking campaign in China is introduction of health warnings on the packs of tobacco products. Local cigarettes are selling in colorful decorating packages, with catchy designs. However, there is a thing that distinguishes Chinese cigarettes from counterparts selling in other countries – there are no clear health warnings on them.
Packs have only small written warnings on the side, stating, “Smoking harms health.”
However, this will change soon. China has recently ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a worldwide anti-tobacco document signed by 157 nations, which obliged Chinese government to implement larger health warnings on the packs of tobacco products.
