GEORGE TOWN: The city has won the silver award at the Second Asean Smoke-free Awards (ASA).
In a statement on Thursday (Sept 10), the South-East Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) announced that George Town placed second, recognising its achievements in implementing and enforcing smoke-free policies to protect public health.
"It placed behind Baguio City, the Philippines, which received the gold award.
"Five other local governments including Kuala Lumpur, received the bronze award.
"The other four are Depok City, Indonesia; Thanbyuzayat township in Mon state, Myanmar; Pasig City, the Philippines; and Maha Sarakham, Thailand.
"Singapore received the Asean Special Recognition on Smoke-free Enforcement certificate for its consistent and outstanding smoke-free enforcement," it said.
The initiative is led by the Lao People's Democratic Republic under the Asean Health Cluster 1, in cooperation with SEATCA and the Asean Secretariat.
It said the awards were presented on Thursday during the opening ceremony of the 17th Asean Health Ministers' Meeting (AHMM) in Kuala Lumpur.
"The awards celebrate sub-national smoke-free policy achievements to protect public health and align with the Asean Post-2015 Health Development Agenda and the 2017 Asean Declaration on Culture of Prevention," it said.
SEATCA executive director Dr Ulysses Dorotheo said this year's recipients demonstrate that strict and firmly enforced smoke-free policies are achievable and necessary if millions of lives are to be saved.
"We (SEATCA) will continue to work with these cities to build on their present achievements.
"We know other governments in South-East Asia will draw inspiration from these achievements.
"Local governments are demonstrating that smoke-free environments can and must become the standard across the region by firmly resisting challenges from the tobacco industry and by placing public health first," he said.
The Laotian Health Ministry said the second edition of the awards reflected the region's shared commitment to translating high-level Asean commitments into real protections for its people.
ASA builds on the "Towards a Smoke-free Asean" campaign, initiated in March 2012 at the World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Singapore.
The inaugural ceremony was held in Vientiane, Laos in August 2024, when Iloilo City in the Philippines received the first-ever gold award.
