Tobacco Control

The Union has been active in tobacco control and prevention for over 25 years. In 1981, for example, its World Conference on Lung Health was declared a smokefree event. The predecessor of the current Tobacco Control Department was created in 1996. The aim of the Tobacco Prevention and Control Division was to identify state of the art practical strategies for low-income countries and to disseminate this information through technical assistance, education and applied research.
Since late 2006, the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use has boosted The Union’s work on tobacco control interventions in the countries with the highest burden of tobacco-related disease. As part of the Initiative, The Union works in partnership with other organisations: The World Lung Foundation, The Framework Convention Alliance, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foundation, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the World Health Organization. The Union’s Tobacco Control Department now operates out of Edinburgh, UK and comprises a staff of more than 100 technical consultants, programme managers, policy and communication experts. The goals of the Tobacco Control Department are to promote effective tobacco control policies, to build capacity for tobacco control through management and technical training, and to support implementation of effective programmes through technical assistance. The Union also manages international grants for tobacco control.