The World Health Organization (WHO) has jointly awarded the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2026 Award to the Tobacco Control Cell of Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination and Dr. Waseem Iftikhar Janjua, Senior Researcher at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan.
The WNTD Award is presented annually to individuals or organizations from each of the six WHO Regions in recognition of their outstanding contributions to tobacco control.
The full list of this year’s award recipients is available on WHO’s website.
In Pakistan, tobacco causes an estimated 164 000 deaths and economic losses of over 1800 billion Pakistani rupees (around US$6.6 billion) each year. WHO warns that children and youth are particularly exposed to and targeted by the tobacco and nicotine industries, which design their products to get young people stuck in a cycle of addiction.
Pakistan ratified the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2004, and WHO provides continuous technical support to the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination and the Federal Board of Revenue in areas such as tobacco tax policy and track-and-trace implementation
Since 2014, under the umbrella of WHO’s FCTC, Pakistan has implemented key policy changes to reduce tobacco consumption, including a 208% increase in tobacco taxation during the fiscal year 2022–2023 (which remained unchanged in subsequent years); larger pictorial health warnings on tobacco packaging; a ban on the sale of loose cigarettes nationwide; the National Tobacco Control Strategy 2022–2030; and the establishment of provincial Tobacco Control Cells and Implementation and Monitoring Committees, among others.
Extensive scientific evidence confirms that all tobacco and nicotine products on the market – including licit and illicit products, and items such as e-cigarettes or nicotine patches – are extremely harmful to health and pose a major risk to vulnerable populations such as children and teenagers.
Tobacco kills up to half of its users who don’t quit. A leading cause of preventable death, it causes cardiovascular and lung disease, strokes, and multiple cancers.
For additional information, please contact:
José Ignacio Martín Galán, Head of Communications, WHO Pakistan: jomartin@who.int
About WHO
Founded in 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) is the United Nations agency that connects nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. We work with over 190 Member States across more than 150 locations to ensure everyone, everywhere, can attain the highest level of health. WHO has maintained a permanent presence in Pakistan since its country office was established in 1960. For more information, visit WHO Pakistan website.
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