Minister takes fight global

The Cook Islands is among the leading countries of the Region in taking a strong stand against smoking and Minister of Health Nandi Glassie wants to take the national fight to the global level.
The Minister will take up this challenge at the forthcoming Sixth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP6) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control – the WHOFCTC. The global meeting takes place this year in Seoul, Korea, from 12-17 November.
Minister Glassie says the Cook Islands has pursued a forceful path of controlling tobacco consumption, particularly in introducing legislation and applying tax levies on imports. The Health Ministry is also targeting the youth in its national campaign against tobacco – the 12 to 26 year olds, who are the most vulnerable to taking up smoking.
A third of Cook Islanders smoke (33.3%) and the majority of them are men (37.5%). The average age of starting the habit is about 20 years.
The Minister says it’s important to sustain the efforts in controlling tobacco as part of the national drive to fight Non-Communicable Disease-related illnesses. Daily smokers are among the risk factors of NCDs.
The Cook Islands has been a strong contributor to the global convention and national strategies are expected to play a significant role in strengthening the international framework for control of tobacco. The Minister is being accompanied to Korea by Secretary of Health Liz Iro.

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