How much is needed? For what exactly?
The World No Tobacco Day Award 2011’s winner in Togo, Mr. Ebeh Kodjo Fabrice received his award today
The World No Tobacco Day Award in 2011 winner Mr. Ebeh Kodjo Fabrice has received his award today November 24, 2011 at the World Health Organization (WHO) country Office in Lomé. The ceremony was attended by many Principal Private Secretaries of Ministers, Members of Togolese Parliament, Health authorities and journalists.
Mr. Tamakloe, FCTC Focal Point and Program Officer at the WHO country Office in Lomé introduced the award ceremony with a presentation of the recipient, Mr. Ebeh Fabrice, Executive Director of Alliance Nationale des Consommateurs et de l’Environnement (ANCE-Togo). It appears from Mr. Tamakloe’s speech that Mr. Ebeh holds a PhD in Environmental Law and has a long experience in tobacco control in Togo, in Africa and worldwide. “Ebeh is a fierce tobacco control activist and this led to many successes by Togo in the field of tobacco control” said Mr. Tamakloe.
The WHO country Representative in Togo, Dr Mpele Pierre, giving the award to the recipient in the name of Dr Margaret Chan, General Director of WHO said that it is a deserved gratitude of the international community not only to Mr. Ebeh, but to all the Togolese population. He warmly congratulated the recipient and strongly advised him to continue his tobacco control actions. “Tobacco is not a good product. It has very bad effects on health and on the Millennium Development Goals. There is thus a need to be mobilized to fight it” said Dr Mpele. He thanked the Togolese government for all his effort in the field and reaffirmed the will of WHO to accompany all the actions which will be undertaken.
After receiving the award, The World No Tobacco Day Award 2011 winner expressed his joy for this award. Mr. Ebeh said that all what has been done in the field of tobacco control has been achieved thanks to the good will and collaboration of the Togolese government. He thus thanked the Minister of Health and all his staff. He also expressed his thanks to Members of Parliament and to media who strongly supported the ratification of the FCTC by Togo in November 2005 and the adoption of a tobacco control bill on December 29, 2010. ”But the fight has just started and we must not give up” said Mr. Ebeh. According to him, there is a need to make accessible to a large audience the new tobacco control bill which will come into force in January 2012. Moreover, for a good implementation of this law, there is a need to elaborate implementation decrees; and for this, all the stakeholders in the fight against tobacco should bring their contribution.
The Togolese Minister of Health was represented at this award ceremony by his Principal Private Secretary Mr. Biao. After congratulating Mr. Ebeh for this award, he thanked WHO for the support given to the country in the field of tobacco control. “This award is a real delight for Togo” he said. Mr. Biao reaffirmed the strong will of the Togolese government to fully implement the provisions of the FCTC. As for the new tobacco control bill, he said that the government is seriously thinking of its implementation, but there is a lack of financial means to undertake activities in this vein. He outlined some the difficulties encountered by the Togolese government and expressed the hope that with this World No Tobacco Day Award 2011, the international community will increase its support to the government for an appropriate implementation of the tobacco control bill.
Comments