Malaysia’s George Town Wins ASEAN Smoke-Free Silver Award
GEORGE TOWN (Penang, Malaysia), Sept 28 (Bernama) -- George Town in the state of Penang clinches the Silver Award at the second ASEAN Smoke-Free Awards (ASA) in recognition of its efforts to promote a healthier and smoke-free urban environment.
State Youth, Sports and Health Committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen said the award reflected sustained cooperation between government agencies, local authorities, health organisations and communities in advancing smoke-free initiatives.
“For Penang, this recognition is particularly meaningful because George Town is not only a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also a living city where people live, work, study and visit every day.
“This achievement is the result of sustained efforts across different agencies and sectors. It also reflects the commitment of our communities to creating healthier public spaces,” he said at a press conference in Komtar, here Monday.
The award was presented during the recent ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting in Kuala Lumpur. The ASA initiative is led by the Ministry of Health of Laos under ASEAN Health Cluster 1, in collaboration with the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) and the ASEAN Secretariat.
Meanwhile, Gooi said Penang will host the 10th Asia-Pacific Smoke-Free Meeting on Nov 12 and 13, which is expected to bring together more than 200 national and international health leaders, including health ministers, mayors, municipal 2 leaders, public health experts and advocates from the Asia-Pacific region.
He said the meeting would also feature the largest country participation in the event’s history, including representation from Timor-Leste as it integrates into ASEAN.
“It allows us (Penang) to share our experiences in implementing smoke-free policy at the city and state level, while learning from other cities and countries that are facing similar public health challenges,” he said.
Gooi added that Penang viewed the international meeting not merely as an opportunity to showcase its smoke-free initiatives, but also as a platform to strengthen regional cooperation and develop practical strategies to address emerging nicotine-related challenges.
He said the state hoped the meeting would strengthen Penang’s role in regional public health cooperation while contributing to Malaysia’s broader efforts in global health diplomacy.
Themed ‘Sustaining the Smoke-free Legacy Against the New Tide of Nicotine’, the regional meeting aims to build unified strategies to counter commercial attempts to misuse public health terminology to market e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, nicotine pouches and other nicotine products.
-- BERNAMA
