World No Tobacco Day 2020 awards – the winners

Every year, WHO recognizes individuals or organizations in each of the six WHO Regions for their accomplishments in the area of tobacco control. This recognition takes the form of WHO Director-General Special Recognition Award and World No Tobacco Day Awards.

WHO Director-General Special award

Dr Mom Kong, Executive Director, Cambodia Movement for Health, Cambodia

African Region awardees

• Mr Wondu Bekele Woldemariam, Executive Director, Mathiwos Wondu Cancer Society, Ethiopia
• Ms Rachel Kitonyo Devotsu, Regional Coordinator for Africa, McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer, Kenya
• Mr Aboubacar Hamidou, Secrétaire administratif, Réseau de Lutte contre le Tabac et autres Stupéfiants (RELUTAS), Mali
• Mr Deowan Mohee, NGO VISA, Mauritius;
• Pr Kumako Vinyo Kodzo, Chef du programme national de lutte contre le tabac, Ministère de la santé et de l’hygiène publique, Togo
• Ms Robinah Kaitiritimba, Executive Director, Uganda National Health Users’/Consumers’ Organization, Uganda

Region of the Americas awardees

• Three Bolivian institutions (shared award):
  • Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional de Bolivia (National Assembly of Bolivia)
  • Ministerio de Salud del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (Bolivia Ministry of Health)
  • Alianza Bolivia Libre Sin Tabaco (Alliance for a Bolivia Free of Tobacco)
• Antonio Drauzio Varella, medical doctor and influencer, Brazil
• Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Salud de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela (Ministry of Health of Venezuela)
• Three Mexican institutions (shared award):
  • Secretaría de Salud de México (Mexico Ministry of Health)
  • Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público de México (Mexico Ministry of Finance and Public Credit)
  • Secretaría de Economía de México (Mexico Ministry of Economy)

Eastern Mediterranean Region awardees

• Ms Nesreen Osama Dabous, President of life without smoking (Haya Bela Tadkheen), Arab Republic of Egypt
• Professor Ahmad Jonidi Jafari, Head of the Environmental and Occupational Health Centre, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Islamic Republic of Iran
• Tobacco Free Jordan (TFJ) (Laliltadkheen Org), Jordan
• Mr Anwar Jassim Borahmah, Secretary General, Antismoking and Cancer Society, Chairman, Antismoking Committee, Kuwait
• Dr Ghazi Zaatari, Interim Dean, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Professor and Chair, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Lebanon

European Region awardees

• Dr Arsen Torosyan, Minister of Health, Armenia
• VIVID – Institute for the Prevention of Addiction, Austria
• Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland
• Limerick Comhairle (country-wide youth council), Ireland  
• Dr Ghenadie Turcanu, program coordinator, Center for Health Policies and Studies, Republic of Moldova
• Cancer Research UK, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

South-East Asia Region awardees

• Mr Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health, Kingdom of Thailand
• Socio Economic and Educational Development Society, Patna, Bihar, India
• Dr Aung Tun, Chairman, Tun Khit Foundation, Myanmar

Western Pacific Region awardees

• The Beijing Tobacco Control Association, People’s Republic of China
• Coalition for a Tobacco Free Palau, Palau
• Ministry of Health, Health Promotion Board, Health Sciences Authority, Singapore
• National Tobacco Control Center, Korea Health Promotion Institute, Republic of Korea
• The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), Australia