JOINT STATEMENT Unmasking Tobacco Industries: Protecting Children to Secure Their Future On this World No Tobacco Day (31 May 2025), the International Network of  Health Promotion Foundations (INHPF) reaffirms our commitment to protect  children and young people from the escalating harms of tobacco and nicotine  products. We join the World Health Organization (WHO) and global partners in  calling for urgent actions to “Unmask the Appeal” of tobacco and nicotine  products.  The use of nicotine products like vapes and nicotine pouches is skyrocketing.  Vaping among school-aged children in some countries is alarmingly prevalent,  even two to three times higher than cigarette smoking prevalence.  The INHPF is particularly concerned by the aggressive tactics employed by the  tobacco and nicotine industries using appealing product designs, alluring  flavors, and youth-friendly marketing to create a false sense of safety that  attracts adolescents to this lifelong harmful addiction.   As the global landscape of tobacco and vape marketing evolves, so must our  collective response. We call on governments, public institutions, and  communities to take bold and coordinated actions to:  Prioritize prevention across systems—align policies in health, education,  digital safety, and trade to stop the tobacco and nicotine industries from  targeting children and young people.   Strengthen regulation and enforcement—pursue a complete ban of  vapes, or ban sales to minors, ban flavours, and close regulatory  loopholes.  Comprehensive bans of...

ThaiHealth Kicks Off “the Global Health Training Program” Aiming to Enhance  Organization Capability to Drive Global Health Agenda On February 4, 2025, The Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) has kicked off its Global Health Training Program 2025 (GHTP2025) jointly developed by the Partnership and International Relations Section and the Human Resources Unit. The program aims to enhance staff capacity and organization capabilities in global health, with a focus on equipping ThaiHealth to effectively engage with and contribute to the global health arena in a systematic and practical manner. The GHTP2025 program incorporates the INNE model for capacity development (comprising of building capacity at  Individual, Node, Network, and Supportive Environment levels). It is specifically designed to build individual competencies through learning and hands-on experience in international affairs (Individual); empower their affiliated departments to engage effectively at the international level (Node); foster networks within and outside ThaiHealth (Network); and create an environment conducive to advancing global health learning (Environment). This program could also serve as a model for other agencies to integrate health knowledge with international engagement effectively through learning, hands-on practice, and expert networking. In initiating this policy, Dr. Pongthep Wongwatcharapaiboon, M.D., CEO of ThaiHealth, reaffirms his commitment to building the international competencies of ThaiHealth personnel to advance and contribute to health promotion in line with the organization’s strategic goals while...

Somsak Directs ThaiHealth to Raise Awareness on E-Cigarettes to Protect Children and Youth Reaffirming the government’s stance against e-cigarettes, Somsak has assigned ThaiHealth to coordinate efforts with relevant agencies to address existing gaps. He expresses concerns over the deadly risks of “pod k” and approves the Centre for Alcohol Studies’ plan to advance knowledge, reshape societal values, and promote alcohol-free events. On February 27, 2025, at the ThaiHealth Center, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth), Mr. Somsak Thepsutin, Minister of Public Health and First Deputy Chairman of ThaiHealth, stated at the second board meeting of the year that the board approved the Centre for Alcohol Studies’ plan, focusing on enhancing capacity among personnel and expert networks and developing knowledge to advance various policies. Key policies include developing and enforcing the laws controlling the alcohol production and distribution by small-scale manufacturers, assessing the policy impact of major alcohol producers, promoting responsible behavior among youth and women, implementing alcohol-free policies for government events, improving access to alcohol cessation services, and supporting research and knowledge creation to push for practical and effective solutions to alcohol-related issues. “Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s government prioritizes the issue of e-cigarettes, which have been prevalent among children and youth. The Prime Minister has ordered relevant agencies to implement stringent measures within 30 days. The directive enforces a ban...