a discussion meeting was held at the Retirement Building, jointly organized by the Development Organisation of the Rural Poor-DORP and the Bangladesh Retired Government Employees Welfare Association.
Today The meeting called for the quick passage of the proposed amendments to the Tobacco Control Act to protect public health.
The keynote paper was presented by Zeba Afroza, Program Coordinator of DORP. She explained six major proposals from the draft amendment prepared by the Health Services Division, which are in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). These proposals include removing smoking areas in all public places and public transport, banning the display of tobacco products at points of sale, banning tobacco companies’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, taking steps to protect youth from e-cigarettes, stopping all loose and retail sales of tobacco, and increasing pictorial health warnings on tobacco packets from 50% to 90%.
Speaking as the chief guest, Dr. Md. Sarwar Bari, Secretary of the Health Education and Family Welfare Division, said that when he worked in the ministry’s World Health Wing, Bangladesh signed the WHO FCTC in 2003 and later passed the Tobacco Control Act in 2005. He noted that on 9 December 2024, an advisory committee was formed to review the draft amendment, but on 13 July 2025 the committee decided to meet with tobacco companies to hear their opinions. He said this goes against Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC, which clearly prohibits tobacco companies or their representatives from taking part in or giving input on tobacco control policies.
Special guest Dr. Rishad Chowdhury Robin, Assistant Professor at the NSU Global Health Institute, stressed that public health should be the top priority in the amendment process, not the interests of tobacco companies, and that no consultation should be held to take their opinions.
The meeting was opened by Mohammad Ali, Retired Secretary and Director of the Bangladesh Retired Government Employees Welfare Association. Other speakers included Munshi Alauddin Al Azad, NDC Member and Retired Secretary; Dr. Md. Suratuzzaman, Retired Additional Secretary; Md. Ismail Hossain, Retired Additional Secretary; and Professor (Retd.) Samsad Begum. They all demanded the cancellation of the decision to meet with tobacco companies and the quick passage of the proposed amendments.
At the end of the meeting, members of the association signed in support of the amendments. They warned that tobacco use causes 442 deaths every day in Bangladesh, leaves about 400,000 people disabled each year, and exposes 42.7% of people to secondhand smoke. They said that passing the amendments quickly is essential to protect the next generation from the deadly effects of tobacco.
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