Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Religious Leaders,
Distinguished Representatives of International Organisations,
Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of ENSP, thank you for honouring us with your presence at the opening of the 11th European Conference on Tobacco Control.
Our gathering here today, in the beautiful and historic city of Istanbul, marks far more than the opening of another conference. It marks the beginning of a new era in tobacco control.
The successful alliance between ENSP and Green Crescent brings together our strengths, our experience and our shared commitment. It creates a dynamic partnership that is leading us towards new paths for joint action beyond the European Union, beyond the geographical boundaries of the European Region and across all five continents.
It is with great pleasure and deep emotion that we welcome 250 delegates from 32 countries around the world.
More than 130 high level scientific lectures and presentations will be delivered in the frame of our conference during the next two days.
We have representatives of WHO, of the FCTC, of UNICEF of the European Respiratory Society, as well as leading tobacco control movements, universities, organisations and tobacco control programmes of EU.
We are profoundly honoured by the presence of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. His blessing and support for the protection of children from nicotine addiction give our gathering a special spiritual and moral significance.
I extend a particularly warm welcome to Miss Valerie Esang Whips, the First Lady of the Republic of Palau, who has travelled from the other side of the world to join us. Her presence is a powerful expression of the global importance of our common cause.
This Conference sets out our priorities for the near future of tobacco control.
Introductory, we name nicotine as an addictive substance, identifying it as our primary target and the central enemy we must address. Of course, we clearly distinguish between the therapeutic use of this molecule for quitting purposes and its recreational use, promoted through commercial products leading young persons to addiction.
Our first priority, clearly expressed in the main message of our Conference, gives the global tobacco control movement a specific objective:
Protecting children from nicotine addiction.
Why is this so important?
Because, it is for the first time in the history of public health, that nicotine—a well-known psychoactive and addictive substance—is being systematically marketed in colours, flavours, aromas and devices that clearly target children aging between 10 and 16 years.
This is happening despite abundant scientific evidence that, in the developing brain of a child, nicotine establishes powerful mechanisms of lifelong addiction, followed by a range of behavioural effects.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 15million children are currently using e-cigarettes. Available data also show a worrying and rapid increase of this figure. A new generation of people addicted to nicotine is already becoming a reality.
This is the challenge before us:
To protect children from nicotine addiction.
Our second point in this Conference is that we place education and communication at the forefront of tobacco control.
We propose an urgent outreach effort directed at children through their schools, their families and their communities. We need educational programmes and communication that speak directly to their age, their experiences and their feelings.
We propose specialised training and support for teachers. We place particular emphasis on informing and empowering parents. We are committed to help them guide children in developing the critical judgement needed to recognise commercial influence and resist the appeal of addictive products.
Education must give every child the knowledge, confidence and freedom to make informed choices.
There is, however, a third dimension that I have deliberately left until last because it deserves particular emphasis.
For the first time in the thirty years during which I have followed international developments in tobacco control, I have seen this message bring senior religious leaders joining us.
The interfaith significance of this message finds powerful expression in the landmark video message of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the statement of endorsement,of The President of Religious Affairs (Ciyanath) of Republic of Turkey Prof. Fr. Safi Arpagus, the warm letter of support from the Chief Rabbi of Türkiye,David Sivi and the written endorsement of His Beatitude the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece.Ieronymos II.
Together, these messages from highly respected religious leaders affirm the shared moral responsibility to protect children from nicotine addiction. Above all, they demonstrate the power of our message to unite people across faiths. Their endorsement of our message, and their commitment to putting this principle into practice within their communities, give our work profound moral and social significance.
Protecting children is a responsibility that transcends borders, institutions and religious differences.
It speaks to our shared humanity.
It speaks to our duty to the next generation.
From today, we commit ourselves to making the protection of children from nicotine addiction a priority in tobacco control.
The child must be at the centre of everything we do.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are deeply grateful to His Excellency Mr Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye, for his patronage and support for this Conference.
We are also grateful for the close organisational partnership between ENSP and Green Crescent.
The personal friendship and mutual trust that have developed between our teams has strengthened this partnership.
Daily conversations over many months combined with tireless work and shared dedication has made our Conference possible.
Together, we have built a firm foundation for the work ahead.
The 11th European Conference on Tobacco Control is not an ending.
It is a beginning.
From this moment forward, the purpose of the 11th ECTC is clear:
To turn our shared commitment into action.
To strengthen prevention.
To support families and teachers.
To protect children from commercial influence that leads to addiction.
Above all, we must keep our common purpose clear and unwavering:
Protecting children from nicotine addiction.
This is not merely a message.
It is a commitment.
It is a responsibility.
It is the principle under which we stand together.
It is the roadmap leading tobacco control efforts to a new era.
I wish you a fruitful conference and an enjoyable stay in Istanbul!
Thank you!
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