SINGAPORE: Singapore's National Smoking Control Programme (NSCP) has been internationally recognised for its outstanding practices, as well as innovative and successful approaches to comprehensive tobacco control.

Singapore received the Good Practice Award for Comprehensive Tobacco Control in Cities at the World Health Organisation Alliance for Healthy Cities Awards 2008.

The award was announced at the Third Global Conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities held in Ichikawa City, Japan, on 25 October 2008.

The National Smoking Control Programme adheres to the MPOWER package, which is a roadmap to help countries meet their obligations to the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC).

The MPOWER package comprises:

- Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies
- Protect people from tobacco smoke
- Offer help to quit tobacco use
- Warn about the dangers of tobacco
- Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
- Raise taxes on tobacco

Besides having demonstrated action on the MPOWER package as listed above, Singapore is one of the four FCTC ratifying countries to have fully implemented three of the six polices.

According to the Health Promotion Board, Singapore has one of the lowest smoking prevalence rates in the world with a reduction from 20 percent in 1984 to 12.6 percent in 2004. - CNA/de