Content of activities to prevent harmful effects of tobacco of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for the period 2023 - 2024 in Vietnam

Content of activities to prevent harmful effects of tobacco of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for the period 2023 - 2024 in Vietnam (Internet image)

Regarding this issue, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

On August 25, 2023, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment issued Decision 2461/QD-BTNMT promulgating the Ministry's Plan to prevent and control tobacco harms for the period 2023–2024.

Content of activities to prevent harmful effects of tobacco of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for the period 2023 - 2024 in Vietnam

Specifically, the contents of the tobacco harm prevention program of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for the period 2023–2024 are as follows:

(1) Direction work

- Party committees and authorities at all levels continue to strengthen the thorough implementation of legal documents on preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco, such as: Law on Tobacco harm prevention, the National Strategy for Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Tobacco, the Plan for Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Tobacco, and documents guiding the implementation of tobacco harm prevention and control activities of the Ministry and agencies and units.

- Continue to strengthen the Steering Committee for prevention and control of tobacco harms of the Ministry and the Steering Committee for prevention and control of tobacco harms of affiliated units;

- Heads of units direct, develop, and implement plans to prevent and control the harmful effects of tobacco.

At the same time, strengthen inspection and supervision and urge the implementation of plans.

(2) Promote communication work to raise awareness

- Develop communication programs and plans with practical activities to more effectively propagate the prevention and control of the harmful effects of tobacco and raise awareness among officials, civil servants, public employees, and workers.

- Organize competitions, seminars, and other communication activities on preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco; Build columns, pages, news, and articles published on the Natural Resources and Environment Newspaper; the Ministry's electronic information portal, Natural Resources and Environment Magazine, information portals, news pages, or newsletters of units under the Ministry.

- Organize competitions; discuss preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco; Build columns, pages, news, and articles published on the Natural Resources and Environment Newspaper; the Ministry's electronic information portal, news page, or newsletter of units under the Ministry.

(3) Maintain and improve the "smoke-free workplace" model

- Units base on the Ministry's plan to prevent and control harmful effects of tobacco, the provisions of the Law on Tobacco harm prevention, and reality at the unit; Continue to improve models of smoke-free workplaces to ensure strict enforcement of the Law on Tobacco harm prevention, draw on experience, and replicate new models and good practices.

- Develop evaluation criteria for annual emulation, commend and reward groups and individuals with initiatives that are good and effective models in preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco.

(4) Strengthen inspection and examination work

- Establish an inspection and supervision team of the Ministry including members of the Steering Committee for prevention and control of harmful effects of tobacco of the Ministry to inspect and supervise the implementation of activities on preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco by units under the Ministry, especially activities of building a "smoke-free environment".

- Units proactively organize inspections and tests and handle violations of the law on preventing and controlling the harmful effects of tobacco at their units.

Objectives of the plan to prevent harmful effects of tobacco of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for the period 2023 - 2024

(1) General objective

Strictly enforce legal regulations on preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco, reducing the need to use and gradually quitting tobacco products to reduce the risk of illness and death caused by tobacco use and the risk of breathing secondhand smoke. Continue to perfect and replicate the "smoke-free workplace" model in units under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

(2) Specific objectives

- Continue to propagate and widely disseminate information about the harmful effects of tobacco, the benefits of a smoke-free environment, the provisions of the Law on Tobacco harm prevention, and guiding documents so that 100% of officials, civil servants, public employees, and workers understand the harmful effects of tobacco and the provisions of the Law on Tobacco harm prevention.

- Strive for 100% of units under the Ministry to develop and implement plans to prevent and control the harmful effects of tobacco by 2024. Continue to maintain and replicate the "smoke-free office" model in the offices and meeting rooms of agencies and units.

Propagate and mobilize efforts from now to 2024 to reduce the number of civil servants, public employees, and workers who are smokers by 30%–40%.

Decision 2461/QD-BTNMT takes effect from the date of signing.

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