NGO News

Mar262025 by No Comments

Tobacco Control Law should be Reformed in Line with WHO FCTC

According to the World Health Organization, tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease globally, stated the speakers. Today, on Tuesday, March 25, at 3:00 PM, during a discussion meeting titled "Role of Civil Society in the Implementation of WHO FCTC" organized by Dhaka Ahsania Mission at the health sector office in Shyamoli, the speakers further mentioned, "Tobacco poses a significant barrier to public health protection and achieving SDG targets. Therefore, the proper implementation of FCTC and the participation of civil society are crucial to achieving the SDGs by 2030. To ensure the effective implementation of FCTC, it is essential to amend and enforce the tobacco control law strictly."The speakers included Iqbal Masud, Director of Health and WASH Sector at Dh...

Mar242025 by No Comments

Three Price -Tiers in Cigarette will Hike Revenue, Reduce Use- PROGGA-ATMA at Pre-Budget Press Conference

Breaking News, NGO News

Research and advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) and Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) have urged policymakers to reduce the number of cigarette price tiers from 4 (four) to 3 (three) in the upcoming national budget for FY 2025-26. During the event that took place today (24 March 2025, Monday) at the Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah Conference Hall of the National Press Club, speakers said that the existing four-tiered price system in cigarette bars any tax and pricing measure from playing an effective role. Against this backdrop, the low and medium tiers of cigarettes should be merged and prices for the new tier should be hiked so that it can contribute additional revenue to government coffers and play a role in discouraging cigarette use among the youth and the poor demogr...

Mar242025 by No Comments

MANAS’ letter calling for a ban on smoking scenes in dramas and films

Breaking News, NGO News

MANAS has written to all TV channel authorities, urging them to refrain from airing dramas and films during the holy Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations and to comply with the existing tobacco control law. On March 23, the letter signed by the organization's president, Professor Dr. ArupRatan Choudhury, was sent to the managing directors and program heads of TV channels. The letter states that smoking, tobacco consumption and drug addiction are currently one of the biggest obstacles to public health development. Especially among teenagers, the trend of smoking and drug addiction is increasing, which is an alarming sign for the family, society and the state! More than 161,000 people die every year in the country due to tobacco-related diseases. There are about 15 million drug addicts in the country w...

Mar222025 by No Comments

Young Doctors Demand Strengthening of TC Law to Protect Youth

Breaking News, NGO News

Tobacco companies are using various misleading strategies to attract young people to smoking. They are promoting tobacco under the guise of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. To put an end to these manipulative tactics, young doctors have demanded amendments to the existing tobacco control law to strengthen its enforcement. At a workshop titled "Young Physicians Leading the Fight Against Tobacco: Safeguarding Public" organized by the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh on Saturday (March 22, 2025), medical students from various colleges across the country voiced this demand. Citing the WHO, they stated that 161,253 people die prematurely in Bangladesh each year due to tobacco use. To reduce these preventable deaths, they called for amendments to six key provisions of the...

Mar202025 by No Comments

Youth Demand Minimum Retail Price of Cigarettes to be Set at 9 Taka

Breaking News, NGO News

To discourage smoking among children, adolescents, and young people, youth activists have demanded that in the upcoming fiscal year 2025-26, the lower and mid-tier cigarette categories be merged, setting the minimum retail price of each cigarette stick at 9 Taka. They argue that this price increase would deter young people from smoking, potentially preventing approximately 900,000 premature tobacco-related deaths in the long term. Additionally, the government could generate an additional revenue of 20,000 crore Taka, which is 43% higher than the previous year.This demand was voiced at a press conference organized by Ahsania Mission Youth Forum for Health and Well-being on Thursday morning (March 20, 2025) at the National Press Club. The event was chaired by Marjana Muntaha, the forum's...

Mar192025 by No Comments

Hypertension control must be prioritized in budget- Public health experts at journalists’ workshop

Breaking News, NGO News

Hypertension and various other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 71% of total deaths in Bangladesh. However, the budgetary allocation dedicated to combat NCDs is alarmingly low, comprising only 4.2 percent of the total health budget. To combat the growing prevalence of hypertension, it is essential to increase allocation for this sector in the upcoming budget for FY 2025-26. Such demands were made at a two-day long workshop for journalists titled "Hypertension Control in Bangladesh: Progress and Way Forward", held at the capital's BMA Bhaban from 18-19 March 2025. The workshop was organized by research and advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) with support from Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI). Twenty-six journalists working in print, television and onlin...

Mar192025 by No Comments

Reduce Cigarette Price Tiers to Three: ATMA Demands

Breaking News, NGO News

The existing four price tier (low, medium, high, and premium) system in cigarettes has rendered the tobacco price and tax measures less effective. Particularly, the very narrow price difference between low and medium tier cigarettes allows consumers to choose brands belonging to any of these two tiers. To safeguard public health, this glaring loophole can be plugged by merging low and medium price tiers and reducing the number of price tiers to three. Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) raised such demands today (18 March 2025, Monday) during a FY 2025-26 pre-budget meeting with the National Board of Revenue (NBR) held at the NBR Conference Room, chaired by Md. Abdur Rahman Khan, Chairman, NBR. During the pre-budget (2025-26) meeting, the NBR Chair said that he would consider reducing the ...

Mar162025 by No Comments

Young Doctors Demand Minimum Price of BDT 9 per Cigarette Stick

Breaking News, NGO News

Young doctors have demanded that the price of each cigarette stick be set at a minimum of BDT 9 to make it unaffordable for children, adolescents, and young people. Medical students from various colleges across the country stated that if their demand is implemented, it will not only reduce smoking but also generate 43% more revenue compared to the last fiscal year. The demand was raised at a workshop titled “Young Physicians Leading the Fight Against Tobacco: Safeguarding Public”, organized by the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh on Saturday (March 15, 2025). Representatives from the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh highlighted that tobacco products remain cheap compared to essential commodities in Bangladesh. As a result, children, adolescents, and young people can easily ...

Mar152025 by No Comments

Global Inaction Will Deepen Rohingya Crisis, INGOs Warn as UN Chief António Guterres Visits Bangladesh

Breaking News, NGO News

With the humanitarian response to the Rohingya crisis facing severe funding shortages and shifting global priorities, the need for renewed and sustained international commitment has never been more urgent. As U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres visits Bangladesh, we, the International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) operating in Bangladesh, call for immediate and coordinated action to sustain life-saving assistance, innovative response strategies, and a dedicated mission that ensures stability and dignity for over one million Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.Severe funding cuts have slashed rations by over half which will be operational from April, worsening economic pressures and social tensions in host communities. Essential services—includ...

Mar142025 by No Comments

ActionAid Bangladesh Statement on the Rohingya Crisis: Urgent Call for Action as UN Secretary-General Visits Bangladesh

Breaking News, NGO News

As the UN Secretary-General visits Bangladesh, ActionAid Bangladesh underlines the urgent need to address the escalating humanitarian crisis faced by Rohingya refugees, particularly women and girls. The decision of World Food Programme (WFP) to cut food assistance from USD 12.50 to USD 6 per person per month, effective 1 April 2025, will have catastrophic consequences. According to the WFP, this reduction, driven by severe funding shortfalls, will push over one million refugees below the survival threshold, worsening malnutrition, and health crises.Women and girls are disproportionately affected by this drastic cut in food assistance. Pregnant and breastfeeding women, adolescent girls, and children are already at risk of severe malnutrition, which can lead to long-term health issues an...