(December 5 2016, New York, USA) – Vital Strategies, a global health not-for profit organization, today hailed the decision by Michael Bloomberg to pledge $360 million, in addition to the more than $600 million he has devoted already, to fighting the global tobacco epidemic. This is an extraordinary contribution – of nearly a billion dollars – to combat the primary cause of preventable illness and premature death, of our time.
José Luis Castro, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vital Strategies said:
“For the past nine years, Bloomberg’s global funding for tobacco control has enabled countries around the world, and organizations such as Vital Strategies, to help implement proven tobacco control strategies that have the greatest impact. Initiatives benefiting from Bloomberg Philanthropies have helped tobacco users to quit, potential users to decide against starting to use tobacco, and many non-smokers – particularly women and children – to be better protected from the deadly harms of second-hand smoke.
“As a principal partner in the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, Vital Strategies has assisted national and local governments in countries across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, South East Asia, and Central and South America. Even in many of the highest burden countries, where the tobacco industry seemed invincible only a few years ago, tobacco control policies have been delivering real progress thanks to financial and technical assistance made possible by the Bloomberg Initiative.
“But there is much more to do. The health and economic burden of tobacco remains unacceptably high. The industry still spends billions of dollars to encourage youth to start using tobacco, retain current users, and interfere with government public health policies. Most countries can’t match the industry’s spend – so it is essential that every country counters misinformation and changes knowledge and behaviours by implementing, communicating and enforcing strong, sustainable tobacco control laws. Sustainable financing for tobacco control is an integral part of that requirement.
“Vital Strategies recently issued a positioning paper on “Sustainable Funding Mechanisms for Population-Level Tobacco Control Communication Programs,” in which we recommend that governments use tobacco taxes and other mechanisms to finance mass and social media campaigns that change knowledge and behavior around the consumption of tobacco products. With political will, governments can make more rapid progress in reducing the unsustainable health and economic burdens of tobacco.”
About Vital Strategies
Vital Strategies is a global health organization that seeks to accelerate progress on the world’s most pressing health problems. Our team combines evidence-based strategies with innovation to help develop and implement sound public health policies, manage programs efficiently, strengthen data systems, conduct research, and design strategic communication campaigns for policy and behavior change. To find out more, please visit vstrategystage.wpengine.com or Twitter @VitalStrat.
For further information or to arrange an interview with a Vital Strategies public health and tobacco control expert, please contact Tracey Johnston, Vital Strategies, at +44.7889.081.170 or tjohnston@vitalstrategies.org