320This year, the NGO “Life” celebrates its 15th anniversary. 15 years of fighting for a healthy and safe future for Ukrainians. During this time, Ukraine has seen many positive changes aimed at protecting public health, which were advocated by the “Life” team. Read more about the achievements and next steps to strengthen the state’s ability to protect the health of citizens.
Changes that save lives
Over the 15 years of its activity, the NGO “Life” has advocated for many changes that work to protect the health of Ukrainians. In particular, thanks to our efforts today:
- public premises are completely free of tobacco smoke
- advertising of tobacco products is prohibited and advertising of nicotine products is limited
- cigarettes, tobacco for rolling tobacco, e-cigarettes with flavors are prohibited
- a steady increase in excise taxes on tobacco and nicotine products is ensured
- combined (graphic + text) health warnings on smoking tobacco product packages were introduced
- the sale of electronic smoking devices to persons under the age of 18 is prohibited
- a free service to assist in quitting tobacco use, developed by the “Life” team with the support of the WHO and transferred to the balance sheet of the Public Health Center, stopsmoking.org.ua, is in operation
- systematic work is underway to counteract the interference of the tobacco industry
- public awareness of the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases was raised
- for the first time in Ukraine, a study of products for trans fat content was conducted.
According to the WHO Global Tobacco Epidemic Report 2023, Ukraine is among the countries with the highest achievements in tobacco control. According to the KIIS survey of 2024, there is a downward trend in the consumption of tobacco and nicotine products among the population of Ukraine.
Community as a driver of change
All of these achievements were made possible by the joint efforts of civic activists, MPs, government officials, the media, and doctors.
Strengthening the nation’s health is a shared responsibility that requires coordinated work of both civic initiatives and government agencies. When these institutions come together, they become a driver of effective change, particularly in the field of public health.
“We are grateful for the support of our international and Ukrainian partners and look forward to it in the future, as there are still many challenges! Together we will be able to create conditions for a healthy future for our children and sustainable development of the state”, said Dmytro Kupyra, Executive Director of the NGO “Life”.
New challenges and further steps
The NGO “Life” continues to defend the health of Ukrainians. In the context of the demographic crisis, one of the main tasks for the state is to reduce premature mortality and improve the health of the population, which affects both the well-being of individual families and the country’s economic development.
“Ukraine’s future depends not only on the situation at the front, but also on its internal resilience and capacity. People are the decisive factor in this direction. That is why our task as a civil society organization that has proven its institutional capacity is to create conditions for a safe and healthy life for Ukrainians, which will affect both the quality of life and mortality reduction”, said Oksana Levytska, Chairman of the Board of the NGO “Life”.
One of the biggest challenges for the coming years is to protect children and youth from being attracted to the use of new tobacco and nicotine products. As of 2024, 45% of young smokers aged 18-29 use heated tobacco products (HTPs), and another 44% use e-cigarettes.
In view of this, we believe the following steps are necessary:
- prohibit advertising of tobacco and nicotine products in points of sale;
- ban tobacco and nicotine advertising on the Internet;
- ban on flavored HTPs;
- return to the policy of harmonized taxation of HTPs on the same level as cigarettes;
- introduction of combined health warnings on all tobacco and nicotine products;
- ban on the sale of electronic cigarettes.
Another solution with proven effectiveness in reducing injuries and deaths at a young age is to improve road safety, which the Life team has been involved in.
Such solutions are in line with the Demographic Development Strategy of Ukraine, as they will protect children and youth from inevitable threats, diseases and premature death. As a result, they will help to restore Ukraine’s demographic capital, on which the country’s capacity and sustainable development depend.
