Oman leads the way in tobacco control with pioneering plain packaging initiative
Photo caption: A glimpse of the first cigarettes with plain packaging entering the market in Oman. April 2024. Photo credit: Ministry of Health Oman 29 April 2024 | Oman has rolled out plain packaging for tobacco products, a pioneering move in tobacco control. It is only the second country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, after Saudi...
Qatar: enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
Context Qatar became the first country of both the Gulf Cooperation Council and the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region to ratify the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) on 23 July 2004. Preceding this, Qatar had already enacted its initial tobacco control law, Law No. 20 of 2002. This legislation provided a robust and...
Qatar: monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies
Context Qatar became the first country among the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and within the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region to ratify the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on 23 July 2004. Prior to 2000, only a few indicators related to tobacco use, primarily focusing on consumption, were monitored by integrating them...
Qatar: warning about the dangers of tobacco (health warnings)
Context Qatar took the lead among the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region by ratifying the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on 23 July 2004. Two years prior, Qatar introduced its first tobacco control law, Law No. 20 of 2002. This law served as a robust and comprehensive foundation...
Qatar takes action to combat illicit tobacco trade and enhance quality control measures
Context Qatar took the lead among the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region by ratifying the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on 23 July 2004. Two years prior, Qatar introduced its first comprehensive tobacco control law, Law No. 20 of 2002. This law served as a robust foundation for...
Qatar: warning about the dangers of tobacco (mass media campaigns)
Context Qatar took the lead among countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region by ratifying the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on 23 July 2004. In line with Article 12 of the WHO FCTC, the Ministry of Public Health in Qatar has initiated multiple nationwide anti-tobacco health awareness...
Kuwait: monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies
Context On 12 May 2006, Kuwait ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. To gather information on tobacco use within the country, national surveys were conducted in line with Article 20 of the WHO FCTC. By 2007, Kuwait became one of the first three countries in the Region to achieve the highest level of monitoring tobacco use, as...
Kuwait: offering help to quit tobacco use
Context Kuwait ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on 12 May 2006 and as part of its national tobacco control strategy, it adopted a significant policy of providing assistance to nicotine dependents in quitting smoking. Demonstrating leadership in the Region, Kuwait became the first country to establish cessation...
Kuwait's commitment to tobacco control strengthened as ratification of protocol achieved with multisectoral collaboration
Context Kuwait ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on 12 May 2006, demonstrating its commitment to tobacco control. In line with its obligations under the WHO FCTC, Kuwait also signed the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products in 2012. However, the process of ratification for this protocol was not...
Saudi Arabia's tax stamp project boosts regulatory controls and curbs illicit tobacco trade
Context Saudi Arabia ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on 9 May 2005. The country took early action in combating illegal trade by establishing a committee to examine illicit trade in tobacco products, as directed by a decision from the Cabinet in 2009. In 2012, the Conference of the Parties to the WHO FCTC adopted...
