World No Tobacco Day

31 May is World No Tobacco Day.

It’s a day where global attention is focussed on the harm tobacco does to people, their families and wider communities.

Each year a different topic is highlighted. The theme for WNTD 2023 is:

‘Grow Food, Not Tobacco‘

Tobacco growing harms our health, the health of farmers and the planet’s health. The tobacco industry interferes with attempts to substitute tobacco growing, contributing to the global food crisis.

This campaign encourages governments to end tobacco growing subsidies and use the savings to support farmers to switch to more sustainable crops that improve food security and nutrition.

Campaign objectives

Mobilize governments to end subsidies on tobacco growing and use of savings for crop substitution programmes that support farmers to switch and improve food security and nutrition.

1. Raise awareness in tobacco farming communities about the benefits of moving away from tobacco and growing sustainable crops;
2. Support efforts to combat desertification and environmental degradation by decreasing tobacco farming;
3. Expose industry efforts to obstruct sustainable livelihoods work.

The key measure of campaign success would be the number of governments that pledge to end subsidies on tobacco growing.

For more information about WNTD 2023 visit https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-no-tobacco-day/2023