ACCELERATING CHANGE: FOUNDATION BLOG

The Lancet recently published a #LancetWomen theme issue that explores the institutional and systemic barriers women face in science, medicine, and global health. I was greeted at the New York launch event at Columbia University in early February by a room full of familiar faces, champions of gender equality and women’s empowerment. They were women I’d seen in attendance and heard speak at other events, such as the Women Leaders in Global Health Conference that was held last November in London. It was a room to be reckoned with.

Philip Morris International (PMI) has announced its intentions to remove its combustible tobacco products from the New Zealand market as early as this year. Should we view this initiative as the beginning of the end for combustible tobacco products, or as another ploy of the industry to subvert public health policy development?

On February 21, 2019, KT&G reported fourth quarter and full-year operating results for 2018. The data show that domestic cigarette industry volume is decreasing significantly – approximately 9% in 2018 and more than 14% over the last two years. What is happening?

Without a doubt, pitch competitions set an exciting scene. Entrepreneurs nervously pace as expert judges whisper over a quietly babbling audience that is arguing about their favorite presenter. At the end, winners are announced, money is awarded, and the crowd is abuzz. However, pitch competitions can be more than just an interesting change of pace.

China continues to be a critically important player in global public health. It is home to more than 300 million smokers, and the health impacts are profound. Tobacco harm reduction and smoking cessation are two sides of the same coin, providing solutions to smokers that exercise empathy and respect for their choices. China is well positioned to assume leadership in tobacco industry transformation and the development of reduced-harm products to replace combustible cigarettes across its vast monopoly – through this very same principle of empathy. The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World is founded also on the principle of empathy for the smoker, as well as for the tobacco farmer.