ASH Review: Second Quarter Edition 2013
ASH is pleased to report that the world made good progress at the recent meeting of health 
ministers from around the globe (The 66th World Health Assembly or WHA).
The 66th WHA adopted a Global Action Plan and agreed to a set of targets to curb the rise of non-
communicable diseases (NCDs) which includes cancer, cardiovascular disease and chronic lung disease for which tobacco is the leading risk factor.
The Action Plan will guide the work countries need to do between 2013 and 2020 to reverse the rising NCD epidemic. The Global Action Plan stresses the importance of implementing measures to decrease tobacco consumption such as accelerating the implementation of the global tobacco treaty, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The WHA also agreed to cut tobacco use by 30 percent by 2025. ASH continues to work with governments and partners in order to achieve and hopefully surpass this target.