Department of Cooperatives vows action to ensure tobacco-free workplaces
The Department of Cooperatives has reaffirmed its commitment to creating a tobacco-free environment across its offices by raising awareness among officials and staff, enforcing tobacco control laws and strengthening collaboration with relevant stakeholders to protect public health.
Registrar and Director General (Additional Secretary) of the Department of Cooperatives, Md Selim Fakir, made the pledge while addressing an exchange meeting titled “Ensuring Tobacco-Free Environments in All Offices of the Department of Cooperatives” as chief guest in Dhaka on Monday.
The meeting was jointly organised by the Department of Cooperatives and the Development Organisation of the Rural Poor (DORP).
Selim Fakir said the department would continue initiatives to familiarise officials and employees with the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act, 2005, as amended in 2026, while ensuring tobacco-free environments in all of its offices.
“The Department of Cooperatives is committed to ensuring a tobacco-free environment to protect public health and safeguard non-smokers from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke,” he said.
Presenting the keynote paper, DORP Tobacco Control Project Coordinator Zeba Afroza outlined the current tobacco use situation in Bangladesh, the health risks associated with secondhand smoke and the major provisions of the amended tobacco control law.
Citing the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2017, she said tobacco-related diseases kill around 200,000 people in Bangladesh every year, while tobacco use causes an estimated annual economic loss of Tk 870 billion through healthcare costs and reduced productivity.
She said nearly 37.8 million adults in Bangladesh use tobacco products, including around 19.2 million smokers, while almost 40 million people are exposed to secondhand smoke.
As the government considers tobacco control a key public health priority, she expressed hope that the Department of Cooperatives’ initiative would serve as a model for both public and private institutions.
Chairing the meeting, Additional Registrar (Administration, Human Resource Management and Finance) Md Nabirul Islam referred to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s World No Tobacco Day 2026 message, which said the government was committed to protecting children, adolescents and future generations from the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine.
He said the ban on smoking and the use of tobacco products in public places and public transport under Section 4 of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act, 2005 (Amended 2026), was an important step towards fulfilling that commitment.
Speakers at the meeting stressed that establishing tobacco-free and healthy workplaces would require greater awareness, stronger institutional capacity within the Department of Cooperatives and coordinated action among all relevant stakeholders to effectively implement tobacco control measures.
