South Asia Tobacco Control Leadership Program

IGTC welcomed 47 tobacco control professionals to the South Asia Tobacco Control Leadership Program hosted virtually during three weeks in February- March 2022.

Participants from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka all received comprehensive training, lessons, and lectures delivered online by 15 subject matter experts. In addition to web presentations, group discussions, and task-based learning assignments, the program culminated in a final project where five teams each developed and presented a country-specific vision and strategic plan for reducing/eliminating tobacco consumption.

In response to course evaluations, participants shared some of the ways they planned to use newly attained skills—from initiating a media campaign to inform people of the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, to bringing tobacco control programs to schools and rural populations.