Stakeholders have gathered in Lilongwe for a Needs Assessment Session on Implementing the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in Malawi.
The Ministry of Health, WHO FCTC (Convention Secretariat) and WHO jointly conduct the WHO FCTC needs assessment exercise.
Representative of the WHO FCTC Secretariat, Andrew Black, says tobacco smoke remains the leading preventable cause of non-communicable diseases, like heart diseases, cancer and stroke.
He adds that the assessment will help identify tobacco control gaps and protect the health and well-being of Malawians.
Black, therefore, says they aim to strengthen the implementation of the Convention on Tobacco Control to ensure universal protection from the negative consequences of tobacco smoke in Malawi.
WHO Country Representative, Neema Kimambo, says the exercise bridges the gap between ratification and the domestication of the framework, enabling the stakeholders to effectively implement it together.
Kimambo also observes that the exercise demonstrates the country’s continued high-level political commitment to combating the global tobacco epidemic and prioritizing public health and well-being.
Malawi ratified WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in August 2023 and took effect on 18 November 2023.
