Each year, WHO honours individuals and organizations from each of the six WHO regions for their outstanding contributions to tobacco control. These accolades include the WHO Director-General’s Special Recognition Awards, the World No Tobacco Day Awards, and, in 2025, one WHO Director-General’s Special Recognition Certificate.
The recipients of the 2025 awards are:
WHO Director-General Special awards:
- Dr Mohamed Muizzu, President, Republic of Maldives
- The Ministry of Health and Wellness, Republic of Mauritius
WHO Director-General’s Special Recognition certificate:
- Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC)
African Region
- Programme National de Lutte contre le Tabagisme, l’Alcoolisme, la Toxicomanie et les autres Addictions (PNLTA), Republic of Côte d’Ivoire
- Dr Brou Dieudonne Koffi, Secretary, Organization of the Network of NGOs Engaged in Tobacco Control (ROCTACI), Republic of Côte d’Ivoire
- Labram Massawudu Musah, Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development, Republic of Ghana
- Elvina Majiwa, Student, United States International University-Africa, Republic of Kenya
- Charity Aienobe-Asekharen, Health Promotion, Education and Community Development Initiative (HPECDI), Federal Republic of Nigeria
Region of the Americas
- Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA), Federative Republic of Brazil
- Lisa Lu, CEO, International Youth Tobacco Control, United States of America
Shared award:
- Ministry of Finance, Federative Republic of Brazil
- Ministry of Health, Federative Republic of Brazil
Shared award:
- Denis Choinière, Retired Director, Tobacco Products Regulatory Office, Health Canada
- Clifton Curtis (in memoriam), Environmental Lawyer, United States of America
Shared award:
- Colectivo Todas y Todos por la Vida, Republic of Ecuador
- Acción Jurídica Popular, Republic of Ecuador
Shared award:
- Asociación de Periodismo con Lupa, Republic of Peru
- Cooperativa de Trabajo Sudestada, Eastern Republic of Uruguay
- Proyecto sobre Organización, Desarrollo, Educación e Investigación (PODER), United Mexican States
Eastern Mediterranean Region
- Dr Seyed Morteza Khatami, Deputy for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Islamic Republic of Iran
- Mr Lhassane Hallou, Director of Studies and International Cooperation, Administration of Customs and Indirect Taxes, Kingdom of Morocco
- Hamad Medical Corporation Tobacco Control Centre, WHO Collaborating Centre, State of Qatar
European Region
- Dr Lena Nanushyan, First Deputy Minister of Health, Republic of Armenia
- Dr Franz Pietsch, Head of Directorate, Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection, Republic of Austria
- Mr Frank Vandenbroucke, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health, Kingdom of Belgium
- Professor Constantine Vardavas, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
- Dr Shukhrat Shukurov, Chief Specialist, Institute of Health and Strategic Development, Republic of Uzbekistan
South-East Asia Region
- National Board of Revenue, People’s Republic of Bangladesh
- State Tobacco Control Cell, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka, Republic of India
- Ministry of Health and Population, Nepal
- Mr Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok, Chairman of Bangkok Tobacco Products Control Committee, Kingdom of Thailand
Western Pacific Region
- Professor Emily Banks AM, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, Senior Principal Research Fellow, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Australia
- Te Marae Ora, Ministry of Health, Cook Islands
- Philippine College of Chest Physicians, Republic of the Philippines
- Ms Dao Hong Lan, Minister of Health, Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
Shared award:
- YB Datuk Seri Dr Haji Dzulkefly bin Ahmad, Minister of Health, Malaysia
- Dr Noraryana Binti Hassan, Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health, Malaysia
- Dr Murallitharan Munisamy, Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control, Malaysia
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