In 2023, The Union stopped supporting the programme.
The programme is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies under the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, which promotes evidence-based tobacco control policies in low- and middle-income countries around the world to combat the tobacco epidemic.
Many countries have made huge progress in tobacco control in recent years by adopting strong policies recommended by the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Yet poor compliance rates can mean that these policies are not protecting people in the way that they should.
In response to this, the Global Implementation Programme launched in June 2018 and will support seven cities across China, Indonesia, India and Pakistan. The programme will focus on providing sub-national support, working with city governments to increase compliance with smokefree laws and tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) bans, particularly at point-of-sale.
Each of the cities in the programme has strong tobacco control legislation in place, but compliance with these laws remains low. The Union will provide technical assistance to the cities, including support to establish and train multi-sector task forces, institute a robust coordination mechanism, conduct regular compliance monitoring, and engage the media to promote tobacco control policies and mobilise public support.
The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health is supporting the programme by conducting pre- and post-compliance surveys in each city. Baseline surveys have taken place in all countries and indicate a strong need for improved compliance.
Tobacco Control Implementation Hub
Complementing the Global Implementation Programme, the Tobacco Control Implementation Hub provides resources to support the implementation and enforcement of tobacco control policies.