The Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the Department of Health (DH) organised the Annual Training Programme on Tobacco Control 2023 from December 4 to December 8, and the closing ceremony was held today (December 7).  
      
     In April 2012, the DH was designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) to set up the Collaborating Centre for Smoking Cessation and Treatment of Tobacco Dependence in Hong Kong to serve as a regional hub supporting smoking cessation training and providing assistance to other member states/regions within the Western Pacific region. The Annual Training Programme on Tobacco Control (the Programme) is structured according to the tobacco control measures introduced by the WHO with participants from countries/areas including Mainland China, Macao, China, Malaysia, Republic of Palau, Papua New Guinea, etc participating in the training. Through sharing of valuable experiences in tobacco control by 10 overseas and local experts, participants were able to master tobacco control techniques and strategies in areas such as legislation, law enforcement, publicity and promotion, as well as the development of smoking cessation services and assessments to a further extent. Moreover, through visiting community-based smoking cessation clinics, participants could learn more about smoking cessation services in Hong Kong.
      
     The closing ceremony was officiated by Vice-minister of the National Health Commission Mr Yu Xuejun. Mr Yu hailed the Programme as a great success, and praised the DH for its positive contribution to promoting tobacco control policies and implementing relevant measures. He also expressed the Chinese Government's wishes to collaborate on the efforts with the WHO and other countries and areas within the Western Pacific region through enhanced co-operation in the area of tobacco control, especially on academic exchanges and research.
      
     The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, and the Director of the Division of Healthy Environments and Populations of the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Dr Hiromasa Okayasu, also praised the success of the Programme in their closing remarks.

Ends/Thursday, December 7, 2023
Issued at HKT 19:30

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