Centre for Combating Tobacco (CCT) organised a training program in collaboration with Young Professional Alliance for Health (YouPAH), commemorating the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2025 for Public Health Inspectors (PHI) in Jaffna district. The training was conducted with the support of the office of the Regional Director of Health Services in Jaffna on 30th May 2025 at the Provincial Director of Health Services office in Northern Province.

This year’s WNTD theme, “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products,” highlighted the manipulative strategies employed by the tobacco industry to attract new users, particularly among youth, and undermine public health efforts. In line with this theme, this programme focused on the deceptive tactics adopted by the tobacco industry to introduce and normalise tobacco and nicotine products within communities.

Raising awareness on Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to protect public health policies from tobacco industry interference, was a major focus of the programme. The potential countermeasures and the critical role of local public health authorities in implementing Article 5.3 were further discussed.

At the end, the participants explored specific tactics used by the industry to target youth, and actions that PHIs can take at the community level to prevent tobacco initiation and support cessation efforts, particularly among younger population groups.