Worldwide Initiative Against Tobacco Consumption: WHO and the German Cancer Research Center Urge to Reduce Tobacco Use
Press Release on World No Tobacco Day on 31 May 2011
© dkfz.de
A current publication of the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) for World No Tobacco Day 2011 highlights the importance of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Every year, approximately 110,000 people die in Germany as a consequence of smoking. Tobacco use kills several million people worldwide each year. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is the response to the increasing global tobacco epidemic and it is the first international treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO). With 173 parties to the treaty in May 2011, the Convention is one of the most widely embraced treaties in the history of the United Nations. Martina Poetschke-Langer, head of DKFZ’s Division of Cancer Prevention, points out: „It is of utmost importance for our public health that the treaty’s recommendations for action be implemented in Germany, too.”
The core of the Convention text is a catalog of effective tobacco prevention measures to be implemented in all member states. To facilitate and accelerate implementation of these measures through national laws in the countries of the convention parties, additional guidelines have been produced for a number of topic areas such as protection from secondhand smoke, ban on tobacco advertising, product regulation and protection of health policy measures from tobacco lobbyism.
The new publication of DKFZ’s Division of Cancer Prevention outlines the text of the Convention and the guidelines issued so far. It also contains a short history of the Framework Convention. The volume provides a good general overview of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. It is intended primarily for political decision-makers, but it is also a useful reference book for journalists and healthcare professionals.
Dr. Martina Poetschke-Langer has been head of the German WHO Collaborating Center for Tobacco Control since 2002. On the occasion of this year’s World No Tobacco Day, WHO has distinguished this Collaborating Center with the World No Tobacco Day Award to recognize its accomplishments in the area of tobacco prevention. This is already the third award, following previous awards in 1999 and 2007, received by the WHO Collaborating Center at DKFZ for its outstanding work.
Journalists may obtain the free publication from the Press Office of the German Cancer Research Center.
With more than 3,000 employees, the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) is Germany’s largest biomedical research institute. DKFZ scientists identify cancer risk factors, investigate how cancer progresses and develop new cancer prevention strategies. They are also developing new methods to diagnose tumors more precisely and treat cancer patients more successfully. The DKFZ's Cancer Information Service (KID) provides patients, interested citizens and experts with individual answers to questions relating to cancer.
To transfer promising approaches from cancer research to the clinic and thus improve the prognosis of cancer patients, the DKFZ cooperates with excellent research institutions and university hospitals throughout Germany:
The DKFZ is 90 percent financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and 10 percent by the state of Baden-Württemberg. The DKFZ is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.
