Secretary for Health receives World Health Organization's World No Tobacco Day Award
The Health Bureau was delighted to learn today (May 19) that the World Health Organization (WHO) has awarded the World No Tobacco Day Award to the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in recognition of Hong Kong's achievements in tobacco control.
The WHO marks May 31 as World No Tobacco Day annually to raise public awareness of the harmful effects of smoking and second-hand smoke, and to discourage the use of tobacco products in any form. Every year, the WHO selects individuals or organisations from members of each of the six WHO regions that have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in tobacco control for the Award, in recognition of their achievements and contributions.
Professor Lo's receipt of the Award marks yet another WHO commendation for Hong Kong in the field of tobacco control, following the World No Tobacco Day Director-General's Special Recognition Award presented to the then Secretary for Food and Health Dr York Chow in 2011, and the Award to the Department of Health in 2019. This latest recognition by the WHO signifies that Hong Kong's tobacco control work has continued to build on past achievements and deliver tangible results.
Professor Lo said, "The WHO's recognition is a tremendous encouragement to us. The steady advancement of our tobacco control work would not have been possible without the concerted efforts of all sectors of the community over the years. I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all close partners on this journey, including the Legislative Council (LegCo), the Department of Health, the Primary Healthcare Commission, the Hospital Authority, the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health, healthcare professionals, the education sector, academic institutions, non-governmental organisations, and each and every citizen who supports a smoke-free culture. In the process of formulating and implementing various tobacco control measures, various stakeholders, in particular the LegCo, have proactively provided invaluable advice to help us refine the relevant measures and make them more effective and responsive to the needs of society. Such close interaction and collaboration constitute the very driving force propelling Hong Kong towards a smoke-free city."
The Government has all along adopted a multi-pronged and progressive approach, encompassing legislation, taxation, publicity, education, enforcement and provision of smoking cessation services, to reduce the harmful effects caused by smoking products to members of the public and society. The Government conducted a public consultation on tobacco control strategies in 2023 and, on the basis of community consensus, formulated a new phase of tobacco control strategies covering short, medium and long-term measures, which has since been taken forward in a proactive and orderly manner. Among these measures, the Government increased tobacco duty in 2023 and 2024, and introduced 10 short-term tobacco control measures for implementation in phases after the completion of the legislative process. Measures that have already taken effect include strengthening the legal framework for combating illicit cigarettes, expanding the statutory no-smoking areas, further imposing a comprehensive ban on the possession of alternative smoking products in public places, alongside the sustained enhancement of public education and smoking cessation services.
The aforesaid strategies have yielded notable results. According to preliminary data from the Census and Statistics Department, the smoking prevalence among the local population aged 15 and above dropped from 23 per cent in the 1980s to 8.5 per cent in 2025, hitting a record low, with the number of daily smokers decreasing by about 16 per cent compared with 2019, representing a reduction of nearly 100 000 smokers. Over the same period, the average number of daily consumption of cigarettes by smokers has also dropped by about 14 per cent, resulting in a nearly 30 per cent decrease in the overall consumption of cigarettes. This reflects the marked effectiveness of the Government's tobacco control strategies in effectively safeguarding public health. The Government plans to fully implement plain packaging requirement for conventional smoking products and the duty stamp system by December next year to further reduce the attractiveness of tobacco products and strengthen efforts in combating illicit cigarettes.
Professor Lo stressed, "Today's achievements in tobacco control are the culmination of the tireless efforts of generations of people from all sectors of society over the past four decades. We shall cherish the hard-earned results and carry forward these efforts. Tobacco control admits no complacency. The Government will continue to forge ahead with the tobacco control process in collaboration with the LegCo and all sectors of society, to eliminate the hazards posed by the tobacco products on society and safeguard public health, with a view to moving towards a 'tobacco-free Hong Kong'."
Source: AI-found images
