DILI, 31 May 2025 (TATOLI – Timor-Leste marked World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) today with a “Walk the Talk” event in the capital, Dili, aimed at raising public awareness, particularly among youth about the dangers of tobacco use.
The ‘Walk the Talk’ event, organized by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO), moved from Palácio das Cinzas to Lecidere, drawing significant community participation, as well as engagement from health leaders, government officials, youth, and medical students. The event aimed to promote a tobacco-free lifestyle and encourage healthier choices among young people.
The event highlighted rising health concerns in Timor-Leste, where tobacco use remains a major public health challenge—especially among young people. It emphasized the urgent need to raise community awareness to protect the next generation from the harms of tobacco smoke, aggressive marketing, and misinformation.
During the march, pamphlets on the dangers of tobacco were distributed to the curious residents peeked out of windows and doorways.
Arvind Mathur, WHO Representative, reminded everyone that over 37 million children aged 13 to 15 already use tobacco. “In Timor-Leste, 6 in 10 people consume some form of tobacco.”
Mathur warned young people about the growing lure of flavored tobacco, sleek vapes, and e-cigarettes, all marketed like tech gadgets, but carrying no warnings.
Timor-Leste is one of the 20 countries in the world with high tobacco use rates, and among the five small island developing countries including Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu, and Solomon Islands, to have high tobacco use, according to WHO.
“Timor-Leste also has one of the youngest populations in the Asia-Pacific region; 74 per cent of total population is below 35 years of age, indicating the vast majority of the current tobacco users are in the young age group,” according to Rajesh Pandav, the former WHO Representative to Timor-Leste.
Over 270,000 of the Timorese population smoke cigarettes every day, the majority of whom are young people between 13 and 35 years old.
Cigarette smoking cost Timor-Leste more than US$64 million every year. Tobacco kills more than 700 Timorese people each year.
According to a survey by NATC-TL, about 95% of cigarettes are sold loose and cost only 25 cents.
World No Tobacco Day, observed annually on May 31, aims to raise awareness about the health risks of tobacco use and promote effective measures to reduce its consumption
The theme for the 2025 World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) campaign is “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products.”
This year’s WNTD campaign aims to reveal the strategies employed by the tobacco and nicotine industries to make their harmful products enticing, particularly to young people, said WHO. “By exposing these tactics, WHO seeks to drive awareness, advocate for stronger policies, including a ban on flavours that make tobacco and nicotine products more appealing, and protect public health.”
The Member States of the World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
