Youth Forum urges swift passage of Amended Tobacco Control Ordinance
Staff Reporter
Ahsania Mission Youth Forum for Health and Wellbeing on Monday called for the swift passage of the Amended Tobacco Control Ordinance, 2025 as a law in the upcoming 13th National Parliament to curb tobacco-related diseases and deaths.
The demand was raised at the inaugural session of a three-day orientation and planning workshop titled “Tobacco Control Ordinance 2025 and the Way Forward”, held at the Dhaka Ahsania Mission Auditorium in Dhanmondi. The workshop aims to strengthen the skills, strategies, and leadership capacity of young tobacco control advocates.
Speaking as the chief guest, Md. Akhteruzzaman, Director General (Joint Secretary) of the National Tobacco Control Cell, said the government had taken a landmark step to protect public health by promulgating the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025.
He stressed that turning the ordinance into law in the next parliament is crucial to ensure its sustainability and to reduce the harmful impacts of tobacco. He also underscored the urgent need to build awareness, skills, and leadership among youth for effective implementation.
As special guest, Md. Ziaul Haque, Additional Director General of the Department of Environment, said nearly 200,000 people die every year in Bangladesh due to tobacco-related causes, citing the Tobacco Atlas 2025.
He urged young people to intensify campaigns to draw the attention of the government to be formed after the upcoming election so that the ordinance can be enacted into law. He added that the Department of Environment would support youth-led initiatives in this regard.
In his welcome speech, Shariful Islam, Project Coordinator of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, said anti-tobacco youth advocates have long been working to reduce tobacco use in the country.
He said the workshop was organized to clearly inform young people about the provisions of the Tobacco Control Ordinance 2025 and the next steps, adding that equipping youth with proper knowledge and tools is key to building a healthy, tobacco-free nation.
The speakers expressed hope that strengthening youth capacity and organizing collective initiatives would play a crucial role in achieving a tobacco-free Bangladesh.
They said the leadership emerging from the training would give new momentum to the tobacco control movement and reiterated their call for the passage of the ordinance in the 13th National Parliament.
The programme was chaired by Dr. S. M. Khalilur Rahman, Vice President of Dhaka Ahsania Mission. Through PowerPoint presentations, Abdus Salam, Humaira Sultana, and Marjana Muntaha, Coordinator of Ahsania Mission Youth Forum for Health and Wellbeing, among others, conducted sessions on the harmful effects of tobacco, tobacco control strategies, leadership development, and the Tobacco Control Ordinance 2025 and the way forward.