Saudi Arabia: offering help to quit tobacco use
Context In 2005, Saudi Arabia ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). By 2010, approximately 15% of adolescents reported being current tobacco users. However, health care providers faced significant challenges in assessing and treating smokers due to various barriers. It was crucial to tackle the lack of knowledge and...
Saudi Arabia: enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
Context Saudi Arabia ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on 9 May 2005. In an effort to restrict tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, the country has implemented various regulations. However, certain areas remained unaddressed, including the promotion and advertising of tobacco products on national and...
Egypt: protecting people from tobacco smoke
Context In the late seventies, there was widespread exposure to second-hand smoke in Egypt, leading to increased disability and premature death related to smoking. Urgent action was required to control the smoking epidemic through legislative measures. Egypt implemented various initiatives in three phases of legislation development and adoption in...
Egypt: warning about the dangers of tobacco
Context The Egyptian Law, specifically Law 1981/52, mandated the inclusion of textual health warnings on all tobacco products, whether locally produced or imported, as early as 1981. This significant development was the result of a prolonged battle led by the health committee of the parliament, spearheaded by a dedicated cardiologist. Violations...
Lebanon: protecting people from tobacco smoke
Context The initial ban on smoking in public places in Lebanon was declared in 1993, but inadequate enforcement and political events led to high smoking rates. The involvement of the tobacco industry in governmental decisions further hindered the development of a national policy. In 1998, the Ministry of Public Health established the National...
Oman: enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
Context Oman became a Party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2005, the second country of the Gulf Cooperation Council and 5th in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region to do so. Until 2013, collaboration among the National Tobacco Control Committee, including the Ministry of Information, Ministry of Commerce and Industry,...
Iraq: warning about the dangers of tobacco
Context Iraq became a Party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on 17 March 2008. In line with Article 12 of the WHO FCTC, a tobacco control law was introduced in 2012, with a primary focus on promoting public health awareness about the dangers associated with tobacco use. Annually, a national tobacco control plan is...
Islamic Republic of Iran: Qom tobacco-free city initiative
Context The Islamic Republic of Iran became a signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on 6 November 2005. In line with this commitment, Iran implemented the Comprehensive Act on National Control and Campaign against Tobacco in 2006, accompanied by the Executive Bylaw of the Act in 2007. These legal instruments...
Jordan: raising taxes on tobacco
Context Jordan became the second country in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region to ratify the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on 19 August 2004. However, despite enacting a tobacco control law in 1977, followed by Law No. 47 in 2008 (amended in 2017), the prevalence of tobacco use among youth remained high. The first Global Youth...
Iraq: strengthening international collaboration to combat illicit tobacco trade
Context In 2008, Iraq ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) as a measure to address the widespread use of tobacco within its population. Subsequently, in 2012, the government introduced a tobacco control act aimed at reducing tobacco consumption. However, despite these efforts, there was a lack of effective control over...
