World No Tobacco Day Theme 2020: When it is observed and its importance

World No Tobacco Day shortened to (WNTD) is observed around the world every year on May 31. It is observed to educate the public on the dangers of using tobacco. It also informs the globe what WHO is doing to fight the tobacco epidemic, and what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations. The theme of World No Tobacco Day 2020 is “Protecting youth from industry manipulation and preventing them from tobacco and nicotine use”. 

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World No Tobacco Day theme 2020 

The World Health Organisation marks May 31 of each year as the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). Lately, in recent decades the tobacco industry has been independently adopting various tactics to attract youth to tobacco products. Due to which every year, approximately, 7 million tobacco users die of tobacco-attributable diseases. According to WHO, Internal industry documents have disclosed that their researches and approaches target the young generation, from product design to marketing campaigns, so as to replace the loss of consumers due to tobacco-attributable deaths with new young consumers.

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The organisation also stresses that these tobacco industries manipulate the youth around the globe with varied strategies. These strategies include the use of youth-appealing flavours, attractive product designs, promotion claims of 'harm reduction', sponsoring celebrities/influencers and brand events, point-of-sale marketing at vending outlets frequented by children, and indirect marketing, etc. With promoting the World No Tobacco Day theme 2020, the World Health Organisation serves as a global counter-marketing campaign to:

• Unmask myths and expose manipulation tactics of the tobacco and nicotine industries, especially those deceive the youth.
• Equip youth with the knowledge of the tobacco and nicotine industry’s intention and tactics.
• Empower the influencers to protect the youth and fight against Big Tobacco.

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Global observance - 

In order to increase the importance of this day, groups and organisations around the globe, from local clubs to city councils to national governments, are encouraged by the WHO to raise events each year to help societies celebrate World No Tobacco Day. Past events have included letter-writing campaigns to government officials and local newspapers, marches, public debates, local and national publicity campaigns, anti-tobacco activist meetings, educational programming, and public art. The international day has also been used for discussing the current and future state of a country as it relates to tobacco. 

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