Ulaanbaatar, 02 February 2023: At the request of the Ministry of Health, experts from the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office (WHO WPRO) and the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) are on a mission from 30 January to 03 February to advise and support government policy and legislative reforms in tobacco control. The team will work hand in hand with the Ministry of Health to engage with multiple stakeholders to review progress and strengthen the implementation through multisectoral action of the WHO FCTC and Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products in Mongolia.
Mongolia ratified the WHO FCTC in 2003 and the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products in October 2014. Mongolia's current tobacco control policy is governed by the 2005 Law on Tobacco Control, amended in 2015. Legal analysis of the law shows that there are several gaps to be filled in accordance with the WHO FCTC and its Guidelines for implementation. Addressing these gaps will improve the efficiency of the country’s efforts to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use.
KEY FACTS ABOUT TOBACCO
Tobacco regulations:
- To address the tobacco epidemic, WHO Member States adopted the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2003. Currently, 181 countries and 1 regional economic integration organization (the EU) have ratified this treaty.
- Mongolia ratified the WHO FCTC in 2003 and the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products in October 2014.
Tobacco health threats:
- Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.
- Tobacco use is responsible for 25% of all cancer deaths globally. Nicotine and tobacco products increase the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and pulmonary disease.
The new forms of tobacco products are dangerous to health:
- Tobacco industry is targeting a new generation, children and teenagers. Children and adolescents who use e-cigarettes at least double their chance of smoking cigarettes later in life.
- E-cigarette use increases your risk of heart disease and lung disorders.
- Nicotine in e-cigarettes is a highly addictive drug and can damage children’s developing brains.
- Smoking shisha is just as harmful as other forms of tobacco use.
Tobacco in Mongolia:
- As of 2019, 24.2% of Mongolian adults aged 15-69 years smoke tobacco, with 43.7% for men and 5% for women. The prevalence of current users of any tobacco products among school students aged 13-15 years was 14%, with 21% of boys and 6.9% of girls.
- Tobacco use kills nearly 4,300 people annually in Mongolia, with 72 percent of these deaths being premature, among people under the age of 70. About 12 percent of lives lost from tobacco use are due to exposure to secondhand smoke.
- Tobacco use causes MNT 143.3 billion in healthcare expenditures per year in Mongolia.
Actions and initiatives undertaken by the government, WHO, and FCTC secretariat in Mongolia:
- Mongolia has been implementing the FCTC2030 project with the purpose to strengthen the legal and policy environment for tobacco control policy in line with the recommendations of WHO FCTC and the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, supported by the WHO and FCTC Secretariat.
- WHO and FCTC Secretariat has been collaborating with the Government of Mongolia to strengthen the policy and legal environment for tobacco control.
- WHO FCTC Needs Assessment was conducted jointly by the WHO FCTC Secretariat, WHO HQ, and UNIATF for NCD prevention and control in 2015 and provided a set of recommendations for improving tobacco control policy implementation in Mongolia.
Ulaanbaatar, 02 February 2023: At the request of the Ministry of Health, experts from the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office (WHO WPRO) and the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) are on a mission from 30 January to 03 February to advise and support government policy and legislative reforms in tobacco control. The team will work hand in hand with the Ministry of Health to engage with multiple stakeholders to review progress and strengthen the implementation through multisectoral action of the WHO FCTC and Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products in Mongolia.
Mongolia ratified the WHO FCTC in 2003 and the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products in October 2014. Mongolia's current tobacco control policy is governed by the 2005 Law on Tobacco Control, amended in 2015. Legal analysis of the law shows that there are several gaps to be filled in accordance with the WHO FCTC and its Guidelines for implementation. Addressing these gaps will improve the efficiency of the country’s efforts to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use.
KEY FACTS ABOUT TOBACCO
Tobacco regulations:
- To address the tobacco epidemic, WHO Member States adopted the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2003. Currently, 181 countries and 1 regional economic integration organization (the EU) have ratified this treaty.
- Mongolia ratified the WHO FCTC in 2003 and the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products in October 2014.
Tobacco health threats:
- Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.
- Tobacco use is responsible for 25% of all cancer deaths globally. Nicotine and tobacco products increase the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and pulmonary disease.
The new forms of tobacco products are dangerous to health:
- Tobacco industry is targeting a new generation, children and teenagers. Children and adolescents who use e-cigarettes at least double their chance of smoking cigarettes later in life.
- E-cigarette use increases your risk of heart disease and lung disorders.
- Nicotine in e-cigarettes is a highly addictive drug and can damage children’s developing brains.
- Smoking shisha is just as harmful as other forms of tobacco use.
Tobacco in Mongolia:
- As of 2019, 24.2% of Mongolian adults aged 15-69 years smoke tobacco, with 43.7% for men and 5% for women. The prevalence of current users of any tobacco products among school students aged 13-15 years was 14%, with 21% of boys and 6.9% of girls.
- Tobacco use kills nearly 4,300 people annually in Mongolia, with 72 percent of these deaths being premature, among people under the age of 70. About 12 percent of lives lost from tobacco use are due to exposure to secondhand smoke.
- Tobacco use causes MNT 143.3 billion in healthcare expenditures per year in Mongolia.
Actions and initiatives undertaken by the government, WHO, and FCTC secretariat in Mongolia:
- Mongolia has been implementing the FCTC2030 project with the purpose to strengthen the legal and policy environment for tobacco control policy in line with the recommendations of WHO FCTC and the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, supported by the WHO and FCTC Secretariat.
- WHO and FCTC Secretariat has been collaborating with the Government of Mongolia to strengthen the policy and legal environment for tobacco control.
- WHO FCTC Needs Assessment was conducted jointly by the WHO FCTC Secretariat, WHO HQ, and UNIATF for NCD prevention and control in 2015 and provided a set of recommendations for improving tobacco control policy implementation in Mongolia.