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reception was held at the Presidential Complex as part
of the February9WorldQuit SmokingDay.The recepti-
onwas attended by themore than 250 peoplewho quit
smoking through the president’s convincing and the campaign
organized by the Health Ministry, Health Minister Dr. Mehmet
Müezzinoğlu, Green Crescent President Professor Mücahit Öz-
türk, Professor M. İhsan Karaman, chairman of the Green Cres-
cent Foundation boardof trustees, theirwives andmembers of
the board of executives.
‘There is no such freedomas the freedom to smoke!’
President Erdoğan, who made reference to the Constitutional
provision in article 58, “The state takes the measures neces-
sary to protect youth from bad habits,” stated that, as the hi-
ghest representative of the state, it is his fundamental duty to
follow up whether the requirement of this provision is fulfilled.
He said, "There can never be such freedom as the freedom to
smoke. Because the non-smoker is exposed to a danger, a th-
reat, completely outside of their own will.” Erdoğan, who said,
“Wemust encourage everybody to quit smoking, starting from
thosewho are closest to us,” to create social awareness, stated
that smoking surveillances will be further bolstered and smo-
king bans further expanded.
G
reen Crescent participated in the 59th Session of the United
NationsCommissiononNarcoticDrugsheldinVienna.Interna-
tonal drug control agreements and the UN General Assembly
Special Session (UNGASS) were discussed. In addition to the plenary
sessions open to participation by top-level state authorities and both
interstate and nongovernmental organizations, narcotics policies and
practiceswerediscussed in thesideevents.
Green Crescent’s UNGASS presentation on Eastern Europe
and Central Asia
Green Crescent was elected as a member of the Civil Society Task
Force (CSTF) thatwas formed prior to theUNGASS, duringwhich sig-
nificant policy changes were provisioned. As part of this task, Green
Crescent took on themission to coordinate and encourage nongover-
nmental organizations inEasternEuropeandCentral Asia toparticipa-
te in the UNGASS process. Green Crescent, which previously gathe-
red representatives of nongovernmental organizations from Eastern
EuropeandCentralAsiainIstanbul,madeapresentationonthecurrent
state inEasternEurope andCentral Asia at the59
th
Sessionof the UN
CommissiononNarcoticDrugsheld inVienna.
PresidentRecepTayyipErdoğanhosteda receptionat thePresidential Complexon theoccasionof
February9WorldQuitSmokingDay. President Erdoğan,whogaveaspeechat the receptionattended
byGreenCrescentPresidentProfessorMücahitÖztürkandGreenCrescent executiveboardmembers,
stated that there isnosuch freedomas the freedomtosmoke.
The59
th
Sessionof theUnitedNationsCommissiononNarcoticDrugswasheldonMarch 14-22at
theUN’sViennaHeadquarterswith theparticipationof numerous top-level stateofficialsaswell as
representativesof international nongovernmental organizations.
GREEN CRESCENT PARTICIPATED IN PRESIDENTIAL
RECEPTIONWITH AWARENESS ACTIVITIES
GREEN CRESCENT ATTENDED THE 59
TH
SESSION OF
THE UN COMMISSION ON NARCOTIC DRUGS