Azerbaijan’s Parliament adopted a new tobacco control law that the President subsequently signed on 29 December 2017. This marks an important step forward in protecting the entire population – especially children and young people – from tobacco and tobacco-smoke exposure.
The new law aligns the national tobacco control policy with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Among other measures, it establishes smoke-free public places and a ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. Significantly, the law also defines water pipes and electronic cigarettes as tobacco products.
The adoption of the new law is the result of a series of activities and efforts that involved multiple sectors of the Government, ministries and agencies. The adoption of the national strategy on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases in December 2015 created new momentum for tobacco control activities. This was followed in mid-2016 by the initiation of the work towards the law “On restriction of tobacco use”.
The preparations for and the final adoption of the new law were widely covered by the media, and were the subject of public debate. WHO/Europe and the WHO Country Office in Azerbaijan provided technical support throughout the process.