Mauritania commemorated World No Tobacco Day on Sunday, June 1, 2014, under the global theme “Raise taxes on tobacco.” The day’s activities were organized by the National Tobacco Control Program / Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Center for tobacco control (CTCA).
The activities were aimed raising the awareness of the people of Mauritania about the importance of increasing taxes on tobacco as a measure of controlling tobacco, as well as sensitizing the government and the Parliament on the need to adopt a comprehensive tobacco control law. A draft Tobacco C Bill is currently in parliament.
A series of activities were carried out spearheaded by the Ministry of Health, its partners and Civil Society Organizations. The activities included a symposium where various topics were discussed including; highlights of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, tobacco Control in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Taxation of Tobacco in Islamic Republic of Mauritania, as well as the experience of NGOs in Mauritania in tobacco control.
Media programs were also carried out to create awareness while among the general public, whileadvocacy for the TC bill was specifically carried out among the Chairpersons of the National Assembly Committee to advocate for bill programing. They confirmed that the law will be discussed during the current session after the Presidential elections.