The Anti Tobacco Youth Convention 2024 was held on Thursday morning in the capital's NGO Affairs Bureau Auditorium at Agargaon organized by the Development Organisation of the Rural Poor (DORP). In the convention, youth representatives took an oath to strongly oppose tobacco and pledged to raise public awareness from their respective positions.
Owing to pressing commitments, the chief guest, Youth Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan was unable to attend the event.
Among the special guests were Md Saidur Rahman, Director General of the NGO Affairs Bureau, and Md Mostafizur Rahman, Lead Policy Adviser of CTFK, Bangladesh, and former Chairman of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation.
Saidur Rahman said, "We are involved with both tobacco promoters and anti-tobacco activists, which creates a conflict of interest. NGOs are currently focused on only six core points. These are insufficient. It is essential that all NGOs unite. Strict regulations should be enforced on smoking in public places. While it may not be possible to completely ban smoking, we can certainly impose restrictions, especially in educational institutions and healthcare centres Mostafizur Rahman said.
