Nelson Mandela Day 2024: Making A Difference with Harm Reduction

The 2024 theme, “It’s still in our hands to combat poverty and inequality,” resonates deeply with Mandela’s lifelong commitment to human rights and justice for all.

Nelson Mandela Day observed every July 18th, is an excellent time to remember that human rights belong to all. Established by the United Nations in 2009, this particular day honours the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, an iconic human rights advocate.

While significant strides have been made since his time, the challenges of human rights and inequality persist. A lack of access to adequate smoking cessation services in low and middle-income countries, for instance, has exposed global disparities and the need to bridge the gap.

A human rights approach to ending smoking is unique because it implores or requires policymakers to protect smokers by implementing policies and strategies to end the smoking epidemic based on legally binding human rights norms.

Everyone, whatever their activity or behaviour, shares the same entitlement to the highest attainable level of health; harm reduction practices are means by which countries can create the environmental, social, cultural, and legal conditions to enable all persons to enjoy this level of health.

As we mark Mandela Day, remember that the right to health underpins the right to tobacco harm reduction.