A smoke-free future is one more step towards a clean-air future for every child

UNICEF welcomes the Draft Law for Protection from Smoking. This is a crucial step that will protect children from all tobacco, heated tobacco and nicotine products. It will keep schools, recreational and play facilities, cars with children and other places where children spend time smoke-free and will introduce measures to prevent exposure of children to marketing of tobacco and nicotine products.

It matters for children in North Macedonia because:       

• Children in North Macedonia start smoking extremely early - at just 13.5 years on average and 12.4% of students aged 13–17 already use tobacco products.
• Babies, young children, and adolescents cannot control their exposure to second-hand smoke. When adults smoke in places where children live, learn and play, children inhale toxic pollutants more deeply and more frequently due to their faster breathing rates.
• Globally, second-hand smoke kills an estimated 1.2 million people annually, including 65,000 children under 15. Newborns and young children exposed to tobacco smoke are at higher risk of asthma, respiratory infections, and meningococcal disease, leading to increased mortality.
• Nearly one in two adults (47%) in North Macedonia smokes tobacco, placing children at even higher risk of routine secondhand exposure in homes, vehicles and public spaces.

Cigarette smoke contributes to indoor air pollution:

If you need more reasons to be convinced:

• Tobacco smoke is one of the most significant contributors to indoor air pollution. Every time someone lights up a cigarette or tobacco product indoors, toxic chemicals are released into the air, putting everyone and especially children, at risk of breathing in harmful pollutants that can lead to serious health problems.
• While citizens are calling for action to address outdoor air pollution, indoor pollution can be equally or even more hazardous; the fine particles from tobacco smoke can travel deep into children’s lungs, cross into the bloodstream, and harm developing organs.
• Outdoor air pollution is already the leading environmental health risk for children in North Macedonia, adding tobacco smoke only intensifies an existing crisis.

A smoke-free future is a clean air future.

UNICEF is convinced the new law can reduce exposure, prevent addiction and save lives but only if we all stand behind its full implementation and enforcement once adopted. UNICEF also recommends explicitly banning smoking from school and preschool yards in addition to near building entrances. This is in line with the Air Quality recommendations issued by the Ministry of Education and Science. Finally, we can personally go a step further by making our homes smoke-free environments for our children.

Together we can ensure every child in North Macedonia grows up healthy, protected and able to breathe clean air.