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The World Health Organization (WHO) and its global partners recognize May 31 annually as World No Tobacco Day. The significance of this special day is to encourage people who smoke to quit and those who don’t to never start. World No Tobacco Day is often celebrated by highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocating for the effective monitoring of the sale, distribution, consumption and promotion of tobacco products. Every year tobacco kills more than 8 million people, 7 million of which are due to tobacco use while approximately 1.2 million are due to non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.

This year’s theme for World No Tobacco Day, “Protecting children from tobacco industry interference”, cuts to the core of a disturbing truth – The tobacco industry needs replacement users and youth are a primary target. Many of us use social media and are constantly bombarded with advertisements. Disturbingly, among these ads, the tobacco industry has found a way to infiltrate the screens of youth with flashy, colourful promotions for their products. These ads are meticulously designed to appeal to youthful sensibilities, making smoking and vaping seem attractive and harmless.

A Smoke Free Caribbean

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Photo: WHO

WHO: World No Tobacco Day 2024 will give a platform to young people across the world, who are urging governments to shield them from predatory tobacco marketing tactics. The industry targets youth for a lifetime of profits, creating a new wave of addiction. Children are using e-cigarettes at rates higher than adults in all regions and globally an estimated 37 million youth aged 13–15 years use tobacco.

PAHO:  Webinar Monday, June 3, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. (Washington DC, or EDT) -Experiences and Innovative Strategies to Protect Children and Youth from Tobacco Marketing, organized jointly by the Pan American Health Organization, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and Corporate Accountability. This event will commemorate World No Tobacco Day 2024 (May 31), whose goal this year is to provide a platform to youth who demand that the tobacco industry stop targeting this group with products harmful to their health.This webinar features Danielle Walwyn, HCC Advocacy Officer.

Photo: PAHO

PAHO: The World Health Organization (WHO) and STOP, a global tobacco industry watchdog, are launching today “Hooking the next generation,” a report highlighting how the tobacco and nicotine industry designs products, implements marketing campaigns and works to shape policy environments to help them addict the world’s youth. 

The report shows that globally, an estimated 37 million children aged 13–15 years use tobacco, and in many countries, the rate of e-cigarette use among adolescents exceeds that of adults.

PAHO: Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. (Washington DC, or EDT) PAHO have a launch event for the self-learning virtual course on Regulatory Policies to Prevent Obesity and Diet-related Noncommunicable Diseases. In this course, participants will gain access to strategies for designing and advancing regulatory policies that reduce the demand and offer of ultra-processed and processed products and can halt the rise of obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

SAVE THE DATE

HCC 9th Annual General Assembly

Tuesday 16th July 2024 

10am - 12pm AST

Photo: PAHO

The Trinidad and Tobago Cancer Society in collaboration with the Scotiabank Foundation introduces 'Don't Follow The Cloud, Lead The Crowd' a youth statement campaign that empowers young people to stand up against the Tobacco and Vaping industries. 

Jamaica: Protecting children from tobacco industry interference: A Tobacco-Free Future - Friday, May 31, 2024 Pembroke Hall Primary School

Photo: Pixabay

Global Mental Health Action Network: At this year’s Advocacy Forum, we will bring together experts and advocates from 150+ countries, dedicated to improving mental health for all. Led by the Global Mental Health Action Network’s Working Groups, we will cover the detrimental impact of worsening climate conditions, strategies for tackling mental health stigma and discrimination, effective mental health storytelling and much, much more!

The HCC is seeking to expand our database of consultants with expertise in the area of NCD prevention and control. The HCC relies on consultants to support the implementation of our projects in the short, medium and long-term. To this end we are inviting individual consultants and consulting firms to submit CVs to the HCC. Submitted CVs will be reviewed to ensure they meet the selection criteria and if successful they will be placed in our consultant database. Please note that consultants do not need to be based in the Caribbean but must meet the selection criteria outlined. The database will be the first resource we turn to when consultancy opportunities arise.

Caribbean Association of Nutritionists and Dietitians: Caribbean Nutrition Day is celebrated every year on June 1st. The observance of this day originated under the former Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI), a specialized centre of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). Following the decommissioning of CFNI, this initiative wasadopted and expanded into Caribbean Nutrition Awareness Month by the Caribbean Association of Nutritionists and Dietitians (CANDi).