Ministry of Health and PHF have jointly published the Smoke-free Index Myanmar, 2022, book. The book contains the agreed statements of principles and definitions of the relevant terms as per the WHO FCTC Article 8 and its Guidelines, and, to guide the implementers and the implementation partners; and also to identify the measures needed to achieve effective protection from exposure to the second-hand smoke.
Myanmar is a signatory Party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), after its ratification in April 2004. Myanmar has tried its best to improve its legislative framework for the reduction of consumption of tobacco and tobacco products. Myanmar enacted the “Control of Smoking and Consumption of Tobacco Product Law” (referred later as national tobacco control law) on 4 May 2006, which took effect in May, 2007.
WHO FCTC Article 8 relates to the “Protection from exposure to tobacco smoke.” The Article 8 guidelines emphasized that “there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke” and called on each Party to “strive to provide universal protection within five years of the WHO Framework Convention’s entry into force for that Party”. The five-year deadline for Myanmar was 27 February 2010. Myanmar enacted the national tobacco control law in May 2006, which includes facts on this Article, and the law is the first important step toward fulfilling this obligation.
