Day: July 3, 2024

Addis Ababa: The UN World Health Organization (WHO) released the first-ever guidelines for those seeking to quit tobacco use, recommending a range of initiatives, treatments and digital interventions.

These recommendations are expected to benefit over 750 million adults who want to quit all forms of tobacco including cigarettes, waterpipes, smokeless tobacco products, cigars, roll-your-own tobacco and heated tobacco products.

‘This guideline marks a crucial milestone in our global battle against these dangerous products,’ said Tedros Adhanom, WHO Director-General.

‘It empowers countries with the essential tools to effectively support individuals in quitting tobacco and alleviate the global burden of tobacco-related diseases,’ he added.

While 750 million tobacco users – 60 per cent of the world’s 1.25 billion tobacco users – want to quit smoking, a vast majority lack access to services to help them do so due to resource limitations and other health system challenges.

Rdiger Krech, Director of Health Promo
tion at WHO emphasized that the struggles people face when trying to quit smoking should not be overstated.

‘We need to deeply appreciate the strength it takes, and the suffering endured by individuals and their loved ones to overcome this addiction,’ Krech said. ‘These guidelines are designed to help communities and governments provide the best possible support and assistance for those on this challenging journey.’

In its guidelines, WHO laid out a combination of pharmacotherapy and behavioral interventions that can significantly increase quitting success rates.

It encouraged countries to offer these treatments at no or reduced cost to improve accessibility, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Treatments include medications such as varenicline, Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), bupropion and cytisine.

For behavioural interventions, WHO suggested brief counselling sessions with health worker – lasting between 30 seconds to three minutes – in a health-care setting.

More intensive care opt
ions include individual, group or phone counselling sessions.

‘Additionally, digital interventions such as text messaging, smartphone apps, and internet programmes can be used as adjuncts or self-management tools,’ WHO added.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Addis Ababa: A consultative workshop aimed at enriching Ethiopia’s draft Transitional Justice Implementation Roadmap was held today.

The draft roadmap designed to guide this phase emphasizes the involvement of civil society organizations in fulfilling coordination responsibilities as mandated by the Transitional Justice Policy.

Speaking on the occasion, Justice State Minister Belayhun Yirga noted that the transitional justice policy was developed by independent experts to achieve justice goals effectively.

Similarly, consultation forums on developing the roadmap designed by independent experts would be conducted to gather inputs in the coming days.

Transitional Justice Expert Team Chairperson, Tadesse Kassa said that while the adoption of the comprehensive policy document is a significant national achievement for Ethiopia, it represents only the initial step.

Highlighting the importance of concerted efforts to move forward and establish a strong national transitional justice system, the chairperson added
that implementing transitional justice necessitates extensive institutional cooperation, coordination, and the establishment of a rigorous monitoring and support system.

According to him, this undertaking is both demanding and complex, requiring thorough planning and sustained commitment from all stakeholders involved.

Within the framework of the approved transitional justice policy in Ethiopia, the goals of achieving sustainable peace, comprehensive justice, reconciliation, and establishing the rule of law require outlining the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders.

This includes defining their work processes, clearly indicating time frames, and demonstrating coordinated resource collection and utilization.

Such clarity and coordination are essential to effectively implement the policy and achieve its objectives, the chairperson stated.

Therefore, it is advisable to develop a comprehensive roadmap in advance to ensure the integrated and effective implementation of transitional justice until
the mentioned institutions are organized and operational.

Such a roadmap provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to manage their activities collaboratively and in a predictable manner.

Tadesse pointed out that this proactive approach helps to maintain coherence and continuity in transitional justice efforts from the outset and throughout its implementation phase.

It is to be recalled that the Transitional Justice Policy of Ethiopia has been approved by the Council of Ministers on April 2024.

The policy aims to oversee and implement the national transitional justice process based on principles of accountability, reconciliation, and reparation.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency