A Commemorative Tribute By Soe Moe Article for World No Tobacco Day
By Soe Moe
The People’s Health Foundation (PHF) has been selected as a recipient of the World Health Organization (WHO) World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) Award 2026. The award is presented annually to individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to tobacco control and the reduction of tobacco and tobacco-related product consumption. According to an official announcement, the award for 2026 was granted to the People’s Health Foundation, headquartered at No 52, Chindwin Road, Kamayut Township, Yangon, Myanmar.
How Was the People’s Health Foundation (PHF) Established?
The People’s Health Foundation (PHF) was officially registered under the Organization Registration Law (State Administration Council Law No 46/2022 with registration number 1/Internal/0064 (2022).
The idea for establishing PHF began on 7 May 2012, when former President U Thein Sein met with former WHO SouthEast Asia Director Dr Than Sein together with the Minister for Health. During the meeting, the President emphasized the need for an independent non-governmental organization that could work freely at the grassroots level to support the healthcare sector during Myanmar’s democratic transition. He also encouraged the establishment of an organization capable of operating through international assistance or independently secured funding to implement comprehensive healthcare projects that would also benefit the government.
He noted that many health workers were unable to effectively reach rural and underserved communities, where people faced difficulties in accessing healthcare services due to low income and limited transport. As a result, the People’s Health Foundation was established with a total of ten executive committee members, including a chairperson and secretary.
What Has PHF Done?
The People’s Health Foundation is one of the most prominent local NGOs in Myanmar’s health sector. It has actively participated in tobacco control activities and works closely with the Ministry of Health. PHF collaborates with people’s representatives, government departments, volunteer and civil society organizations, as well as regional and international organizations on tobacco control matters.
The Foundation has contributed to tobacco control legislation, tobacco taxation policies, and the implementation of smoke-free areas in collaboration with regional government authorities. It has also conducted educational and awareness activities, including training programs, painting competitions, cartoon competitions, and essay contests involving students from schools under the education sector. PHF additionally composed educational poems on tobacco and betel chewing and organized group poetry recitation competitions in some schools.
People’s awareness campaigns were also carried out through television interviews and media engagement. In 2013, with approval from the President’s Office, the Ministry of Health transferred 32 charitable clinics in various states and regions to PHF. Beginning in 2014, the Foundation operated these clinics by appointing healthcare professionals to provide free medical care to the public. Due to funding limitations, PHF currently continues operating 23 clinics. PHF has also cooperated with the Ministry of Health in improving tobacco control policies.
Since Myanmar enacted the Tobacco Control Law in May 2016, PHF has supported its implementation and provided technical advice to the Central Committee for Tobacco Control regarding the issuance of necessary notifications and directives to strengthen the law. Furthermore, PHF conducted awareness meetings and implementation training programmes across states and regions to establish Smoke-Free Cities. As a result of these efforts, Bagan Region in Mandalay Region received the ASEAN Smoke-Free Award in 2024. PHF also provided technical support for successfully implementing pictorial health warnings covering 75 per cent of cigarette packaging.
The Foundation coordinated and advised on the implementation of standardized packaging for cigarette products, making Myanmar the third ASEAN country to successfully implement standardized tobacco packaging. In addition, PHF provided technical support to the Ministry of Health in developing a Code of Conduct concerning interactions with the tobacco industry in accordance with Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).
PHF has also systematically monitored and analyzed interference from the tobacco industry and reported relevant findings to ensure that tobacco control activities are not weakened by industry influence.
Control of E-Cigarettes and Emerging Nicotine Products
During the current period, new tobacco and nicotine products have rapidly expanded and increasingly threaten people’s health, particularly targeting children and young people who represent the future generation. As a result, there is an urgent need to regulate and combat electronic cigarettes, vaping devices, heated tobacco products, electronic shisha, and similar modern devices.
Recognizing the need to address these emerging products, PHF collaborated with the Ministry of Health by organizing seminars for lawmakers, government departments, and health officials. The Foundation also proposed the necessary facts to formulate the draft laws and collected recommendations and decisions from discussions to support restrictions on importing, using, storing, possessing, selling, and distributing such products.
These efforts significantly contributed to the Ministry of Health’s decision to classify such products as special goods and impose a complete ban.
Conclusion
Based on international experiences and best practices, PHF continues to play a leading role in Myanmar’s tobacco and nicotine control efforts, including combating electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, electronic shisha, and similar devices. The Foundation believes that its work helps protect young people from the harms of tobacco and electronic smoking products.
Under the WHO World No Tobacco Day Award programme held annually in commemoration of World No Tobacco Day 2026, the People’s Health Foundation of Myanmar was selected as an award recipient from among countries in the WHO SouthEast Asia Region (SEARO). This achievement is regarded as a source of pride for both the organization and Myanmar’s efforts in tobacco control and the prohibition of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, electronic shisha, and related devices classified as special goods.
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