About 40 Members of Parliament (MPs) adopted a declaration to achieve tobacco-free status in Bangladesh by 2040, according to The Dhaka Tribune.
MP Habibe Millat presented the declaration at a media briefing on May 20, 2022, in Cox’s Bazar. The three-day Conference on Achieving a Tobacco-Free Bangladesh by 2040 was organized by the Bangladesh Parliamentary Forum for Health and Well-Being (BPFHW) at the Sea Pearl Resort. The conference was organized in association with the Shastho Shurokkha Foundation and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) Bangladesh.
Signed by Habibe, chairman of the BPFHW, the 16-point declaration acknowledged the progress on the commitment so far, recognized the urgent need for action and recommended some key actions to realize the vision.
Officials noted progress through the Smoking and Using of Tobacco Products (Control) Act 2005, as amended in 2013, and the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Rules 2006 and 2015, which led to a reduction in overall adult smoking rates from 43.3 percent in 2009 to 35.3 percent in 2017.