I will read a message from President Mandela.:
I am honoured to receive this medal today, May 31st, World No-Tobacco Day. I also lend my personal support to the health program of the WHO. Tobacco poses one of the most critical challenges to public health in our time. If current trends continue, millions of the world's children will die prematurely from diseases caused by tobacco. This preventable tragedy must be avoided. Tobacco is both a health and an economic problem. Some sectors of society, manufacturers, retailers and advertising agencies certainly benefit from tobacco sales. But against these other economic losses, from premature deaths of breadwinners, from medical treatment, from lost industrial productivity and absenteeism caused by tobacco related diseases. And from fires caused by carelessly discarded smoking materials. There are also some costs that cannot be quantified. The reduced quality of life for smokers and their families. The loss of speech because of throat cancer, or of a limb form vascular disease. There are also the spouses of smokers who spend their last days alone, because of the early death of a loved one who could not or would not smoking. In South Africa, we will celebrate with action. On May 31st, new tobacco labeling regulations will come into effect. These regulations will help ensure that everyone and certainly everyone that smokes, is aware that smoking kills. On May 31st, I again call on smokers to quit for one day as a first step towards stopping for good. I call on youth not to take up this deadly addiction. The time has come for governments, communities and individuals to build a healthy tobacco-free world. Tobacco costs more than we think.
Signed, Nelson Mandela, President of the Republic of South Africa.