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The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that currently about 4 million deaths per year are attributed to tobacco related diseases, and the figure is expected to rise to 10 million by 2030 if current trends continue. Tobacco will be the leading cause of disease burden by the 2020s, resulting in 1 in 8 deaths, a proportion greater than any other single disease. The World Bank estimates a global net loss of US $200 billion per year attributable to health costs and loss of productivity.
As part of the Federal Tobacco Control Strategy, Health Canada supports and promotes international activities in the area of tobacco control.
Health Canada has been a leading supporter of global tobacco control initiatives. Canadian priorities are:
To date, our international tobacco control funding efforts have been directed at supporting and strengthening the work of the WHO, including the development and implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and its tobacco control activities, and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) for research on tobacco control in developing countries.