Tobacco and Public Health - TCSC Indonesia

such as Jewel and Madonna, who would not promote tobacco in the US, have allowed
their names to be associated with cigarettes in other countries. Film stars such as
Sylvester Stallone have accepted money from the tobacco industry for product placement
in their films.
Action
Tobacco control strategies targeted at decreasing smoking uptake and increasing cessation
are much more cost-effective than treating patients with lung cancer and other
tobacco-related illnesses. There is therefore an urgent need to develop effective gendersensitive
and gender-specific tobacco control strategies, and to allocate sufficient funds
for tobacco control programmes that reach women and girls (INWAT Europe 2000).
Public policy, legislation, research, and education therefore need to be geared specifically
towards preventing girls from initiating smoking and helping women quit (Jacobs 2001).
Over the past 10 years there has been a growing recognition, at both the international
and national levels, of the growing impact of smoking on women’s health around the
world. However, action on this issue has tended to be restricted to those countries with
the longest history of female cigarette smoking.
International level
AMANDA AMOS AND JUDITH MACKAY 345
WHO
The previous Director General of WHO, Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, recognized the
importance of tobacco as a women’s issue. WHO has brought more women into the
organization, and given high priority to strengthening global action on women and
tobacco issues, for example:
◆ WHO has secured funding for a major initiative on women and tobacco currently
underway in the Southern African Development Commission (14 Southern African
countries).
◆ An international meeting on Women and Tobacco took place in Kobe, Japan in
November 1999. This drew in, for the first time, women’s organizations beyond the
traditional tobacco control groups, culminating in The Kobe Declaration on
Women and Tobacco.
◆ In the Western Pacific Region, all three 5-year Action Plans on Tobacco or Health
since 1990 have emphasized the importance of preventing a rise in smoking among
women as a high priority.
WHO is also working with many UN organizations, such as UNICEF, IMF, World
Bank, and others to form partnerships to reduce the epidemic.
The World Bank
The World Bank’s report ‘Curbing the Epidemic’ marked the first time a major
financial institution had supported policies designed to reduce tobacco demand