Close to 50 participants from government and civil society partners across the Middle East region were selected to participate in the 2012 Eastern Mediterranean Regional Tobacco Control Leadership Programme on 26–30 November in Cairo, Egypt. The Union Middle East Office (UME) collaborated with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) and the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (WHO-EMRO) to conduct this 5-day in-depth pilot programme.

After coming into full force on 3 September 2012, Lebanon’s tobacco control law is facing several challenges, but the national tobacco control programme (NTCP) and different civil society organisations are making a good effort in order to overcome them.

World Conference in Kuala Lumpur draws an enthusiastic response

 The spacious, modern Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Malaysia, with its lush garden and view of the Petronas Towers, proved a very congenial setting for the 43^rd Union World Conference on Lung Health.

 More than 2,600 delegates from 122 countries attended the conference on 13–17 November 2012, which focused on the theme of “Driving Sustainability through Mutual Responsibility”.