The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: The Kazakhstan Law "About preventive maintenance and restriction of tobacco smoking", endorsed in July, 2002, had resulted with administrative code corrections and inclusion of the penalty system for law violation cases - smoking in closed public places (schools, medical organizations, public transport, airport, restaurants and others), as well as other restrictions. However some established norms have remained on a paper because of their discrepancy, insufficiency of financing for realization and check-up. Almaty city – mega police and former country capital – is the first town in Kazakhstan,which has in a new fashion approached to a problem of tobacco control policy development owing to the created critical weight.

Methods: The series of the round tables and meetings (task-force) with Almaty city administrative structures, local Parliaments, National antitobacco coalition, series of joint check-up to monitor the law violations with the mass-media involvement were conducted. The first public listening is organized in the city where target town program "Smoke free Almaty city for 2005-2007" was designed and accepted. Implementation of this program was supported by financing from municipal budget.

Results: Local Parliament has approved target town program, and also has made legislative amendments by virtue of the powers - suspended the outdoor tobacco advertising in sale places, accepted the Address to Government of the RK about FCTC ratification. Program consists the next directions: 1/ knowledge increase; 2/ training of experts; 3/ society mobilization; 4/ creation of quit system; 5/ monitoring and an estimation of health. We consider this experience will serve good push for national tobacco control policy improvement.