MEDIA ADVISORY

"Quit the dependency on tobacco. Tobacco costs too much."
Theme for World No Tobacco Day, May 31

WHAT: World No Tobacco Day 2000 observance: Highlights from the World Bank report on the economics of tobacco control .

WHEN: Wednesday, May 31, 2000 at 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: National Press Club, Lisagor Room, 529 14^th Street, NW, Washington, DC.

WHO: Mr. Peter S. Heller, Deputy Director of Fiscal Affairs, International Monetary Fund.

 Mr. Matt Myers, President and Chief Executive Officer, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.

 Ms. Heather Selin, Tobacco Control Advisor, Pan American Health Organization.

WHY: Tobacco is the number one cause of preventable death in the Americas, killing 625,000 people in the Region and 4 million worldwide every year. If current trends continue, deaths worldwide will rise to 10 million by 2030, with half of these deaths in developing nations. A new report by the World Bank says that tobacco control policies can help to reverse the trend, and that they do not harm the economy.

WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY: World No-Tobacco Day is observed annually to raise public awareness about the health impact of tobacco and related issues. It is also a day when the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) calls on all smokers to abstain for at least 24 hours, as a first step to conquering this deadly addiction.

PAHO: The Pan American Health Organization, founded in 1902, works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and raise the living standards of their peoples. It serves as the Regional Office of the World Health Organization, and has offices in 27 countries in the Western Hemisphere as well as nine scientific and technical centers apart from its headquarters in Washington, D.C.