The Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on National Health was received by a prestigious Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control 2025, which recognises global success in implementing effective measures to reduce smoking.
The Chairman of the Committee Mykhailo Radystkyi and the Head of Subcommittee on Committee's Subcommittee on Epidemic Safety, Fighting HIV/AIDS and Socially Dangerous Diseases Lada Bulakh attended the award ceremony.
Within the international visit Ukrainian MPs joined a plenary session and held a meeting with Bloomberg Philanthropies to discuss Ukraine's progress in the fight against smoking.
«In particular, the law of our Committee No. 1978-IX on the protection of the population from the harmful effects of tobacco, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada. The document prohibits smoking heating cigarettes, hookahs and e-cigarettes in designated public places, equates heating devices with regular cigarettes, and bans flavoured cigarettes,» noted the Chairman of the Committee Mykhailo Radystkyi.
The importance of implementing an anti-tobacco policy in Ukraine despite the war was noted.
According to the foundation's founder, Michael Bloomberg, the global tobacco control movement has helped save tens of millions of lives. Despite a decline in the global smoking rate from 22.8% in 2007 to 16.4% in 2023, about one billion people still smoke. More than 7 million people die every year as a result of smoking.
«I would like to thank Bloomberg Philanthropies for their appreciation of our work. The most important thing for Ukraine and the parliament is that the adopted anti-tobacco legislation actually works and helps reduce smoking rates,» summed up Mykhailo Radystkyi.