Annual report 2022
2022 was a year of invincibility, and we are grateful for it to every defender and defenderess of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.The Life team survived in the most difficult time when the full-scale war began and continued to work fully for the implementation of effective policies to protect the health of citizens.
At the beginning of the year, the President of Ukraine signed a comprehensive anti-smoking Law No. 1978-IX which was the result of the synergy and hard work of the authorities, the medical society, health experts, and the public. The steps envisaged by the amendments to the legislation will undoubtedly protect thousands of Ukrainian children and young people from starting smoking and help the adult population to make a decision to stop smoking tobacco and nicotine products.
Despite the full-scale war in Ukraine, all the planned norms of the comprehensive anti-smoking law have worked, in particular 100 % of public premises have been freed from any tobacco and nicotine emissions and smoke. From now on, electronic cigarettes are marked with medical warnings that inform consumers about the drug addiction caused by these products.
The Life NGO team rallied parliamentarians, media, and the public to repel the tobacco industry’s attacks on the new law and prevent both the return of smoking to restaurant establishments and workplaces and the delay in the introduction of graphic medical warnings on cigarette packs.
We were able to strengthen the capacity of state bodies, in particular the State Food and Consumer Service and the National Police, to comply with the norms of the comprehensive anti-smoking law.
Thanks to an effective information campaign, we managed to draw the Ukrainians’ attention to the possibility of free testing for Covid-19 because it is everyone’s responsibility during a full-scale war to take care of their health to reduce the burden on doctors.
The year 2023 sets us new tasks for the implementation of policies to protect human health, taking into account tectonic changes in Ukraine’s demography. It is indisputable that restoring Ukraine’s human resources is one of the key priorities of our society.
Dmytro Kupyra Executive Director of the Life NGO
Mission
Improve the well-being, security, and potential of people through effective civic representation, influence on legislation and policy, especially in the field of public health.
Vision
Life expectancy and quality of life in Ukraine are increasing. The authorities take into account the interests of public health when making any political decisions. The state protects at the highest level the right of every person to health and development of their personality.
Successes and achievements of the Life NGO team in 2022
1
From 1 June 2022, requirements for medical warnings on electronic cigarettes, e-liquids, and herbal products for smoking came into force
On 11 January 2022, the President of Ukraine signed the comprehensive anti-smoking law No. 1978, the adoption of which was advocated by the Life team together with its partners.
The law is aimed at protecting the Ukrainian population, primarily children and young people, from the harm of tobacco and nicotine products and, in particular, it envisages that:
- 100 % of workplaces and public premises should be exempt from smoking heating cigarettes together with tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, and hookahs;
- medical warnings are introduced on electronic cigarettes and liquids;
- heating cigarettes are defined as tobacco products;
- flavoured cigarettes and e-liquids are prohibited;
- graphic medical warnings are introduced on tobacco products for smoking according to the EU standard, which occupy 65 % of the pack area.
2
The population’s awareness of the new norms of anti-smoking legislation has been increased
On the occasion that there comes into force the ban on smoking heating cigarettes in certain places, in accordance with Law No. 1978-IX, the Life team, in cooperation with the PHC and the Ministry of Health, conducted an information campaign ‘TOBACCO FREE 2022’ on the requirements of the law.
Amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On Measures to Prevent and Reduce the Use of Tobacco Products and their Harmful Effects on Public Health’ have come into force.
3
The attacks of the tobacco industry on anti-smoking and European integration legislation were disrupted.
Three attacks of the tobacco industry on the Law of Ukraine No. 2899-IV on protecting the population from tobacco harm were disrupted. The public took efforts to stop the resumption of smoking within restaurant establishments and at workplaces and didn’t allow to postpone for an indefinite period of time the introduction of graphic medical warnings on packages of tobacco products in accordance with the EU requirements.
4
The project ‘Schools Free from Nicotine and Tobacco’ was implemented
The Life team together with the Lviv Regional Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, with the support of the WHO Office in Ukraine, implemented a pilot project ‘Schools Free from Nicotine and Tobacco’ in 10 educational institutions of Lviv Oblast (73 classes).The project’s purpose is to test the WHO Handbook for the dissemination of positive experiences in Ukraine and the world; to provide the necessary knowledge and tools for the implementation of the policy of the nicotine and tobacco free school environments. According to the information campaign results, the number of those who noticed cases of smoking or using nicotine or tobacco products in the school building or on its territory has decreased by more than 20 % over the past 14 days.
5
An anti-award ‘Golden Spit’ was held, exposing the tobacco industry’s interference in health policy
On 9 December 2022, the International Anti-Corruption Day, the Life NGO in partnership with the Anti-Corruption Headquarters NGO announced the people’s deputies – winners of the anti-award ‘Golden Spit’ and representatives of the government awarded the ‘Golden Brake’ for tobacco lobbyism.The spit is a symbol of how politicians that are the tobacco industry lobbyists mow the money and health of the nation, which results in the availability of alcohol and tobacco products, unfair advertising, and the sale of tobacco at every step. And this, in turn, leads to smoking, negatively affects the health of young people, and causes unjustified deaths of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians.
6
The Media Fellowship-2022 scholarship programme was implemented to increase the capacity of media representatives
In partnership with Internews-Ukraine, the Media Fellowship-2022 scholarship programme was held. Within the framework of the programme, four scholarships were provided to media representatives to cover the problem of tobacco use and the need to strengthen state policy to overcome the tobacco epidemic in Ukraine. The scholarship recipients created and published 19 materials with a total coverage of more than 4 million views.
7
Public awareness in the field of public health was increased through two national information campaigns
There were conducted two information campaigns aimed at preserving the health of Ukrainians: ‘Covid-19 has not disappeared, so test for it!’ on the availability of free state testing for COVID-19 and ‘No smoking friendly. Health care is your contribution to the victory’ regarding the new norms of the anti-smoking law and the protection of the population’s rights to a smoke-free environment.
8
The capacity of the State Food and Consumer Service experts to monitor compliance with tobacco legislation was increased
There were developed methodological recommendations ‘Tobacco control saves lives. Monitoring compliance with anti-smoking legislation’and a seminar was held for more than 40 specialists of the territorial bodies of the State Food and Consumer Service in order to ensure a high level of control (supervision) over compliance with anti-smoking legislation.In particular, they carried out the information and explanatory work with the Kyiv State Food and Consumer Service experts in 290 restaurants in the city of Kyiv in order to inform and help the subjects to comply with the norms of the current anti-smoking and advertising legislation.
9
The all-Ukrainian survey ‘The attitude of the population to anti-smoking measures 2022’ was conducted
In cooperation with the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, they conducted an all-Ukrainian survey on the use of tobacco and electronic cigarettes among the population of Ukraine and the attitude to anti-smoking measures ‘The attitude of Ukraine’s population to anti-smoking measures 2022’, the results of which proved that the absolute majority of citizens supported the introduced anti-smoking norms, and 81 % – the ban on the visible placement of tobacco products in places of sale.
10
The expert support in the development of the draft appeal on prohibiting visible placement of tobacco products was provided
The expert support was provided in the development of the draft appeal of the Kyiv City Council to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on prohibiting the visible placement of tobacco and nicotine products in retail outlets. The Kyiv City Council supported the appeal.
11
The 7-year plan to increase excise duties on tobacco products was protected
In 2022, the 7-year plan for an annual 20 percent increase in excise taxes on tobacco products, which was advocated and supported by the Life team, was extended. Such a policy is an effective tool for reducing the price availability of narcotic tobacco and nicotine products. The total excise taxes of the state budget from excise duties on tobacco and nicotine products amount to about UAH 63 billion, thus the Government received resources to partially compensate for the burden on human health and the economy from fatal diseases caused by tobacco use. This amount is somewhat lower than in 2021, but given that since 24 February, almost 8 million Ukrainians have gone abroad and a certain share of them are smokers, we can confidently say that in general, revenues from the sale of tobacco products continue to grow.
12
The expert support was provided in the development of the draft order ‘On approval of groups of sets of combined medical warning’
We joined the development of the draft order ‘On approval of groups of sets of combined medical warning, consisting of 14 versions of the text and illustrations, technical requirements for its layout, design and shape, as well as the procedure for their application by manufacturers of tobacco products for smoking’, in particular, a set of effective warnings was developed and communication assistance was provided in obtaining licenses for the use of images for medical warnings from three countries and two international organizations. Based on those developments, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine published a draft order for public discussion.*
Working with media
Our analytics Research and analytical materials
Infographics
Information on smoking ban
Videos
Volunteer participation of the Life team
We ensured the purchase of body armour for the defenders of Ukraine in the first weeks of russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
Supported the rehabilitation of children, whose families were forced to leave their homes due to hostilities, in the Skala children’s football club.
The all-Ukrainian partnership network
In 2022, Life strengthened cooperation with regional public health centres and established new formats of cooperation with the network of centres for disease control and prevention.
GRATITUDE TO THE LIFE PARTNERS FOR EFFECTIVE AND FRUITFUL COOPERATION
United Nations Development Program in Ukraine
The all-Ukrainian campaign
‘Youth free from smoking’
and The Network of Responsible Persons NGO
FINANCIAL REPORT OF THE LIFE NGO
TEAM
Andrii Skipalskyi
Chairman of the Board
Anna Hopko
Deputy Chairman of the Board
Dmytro Kupyra
Executive Director
Svitlana Sydorova
Board Secretary
Oksana Levytska
project coordinator
Dmytro Polonskyi
communication manager
Valeriia Ratunda
chief financial officer
Alla Bura
financial manager
Valeriia Siemkova
project assistant
Olesia Kozlova
project assistant
Mariia Hrynyshyn
lawyer
Anastasiia Bonkovska
project manager