Microsoft founder Bill Gates and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg have launched an "Anti-Tobacco Trade Litigation Fund" in Abu Dhabi to fight tobacco industry.
Daily Mail Online reported that the purpose of anti-tobacco industry fund is to help developing countries avert legal action from tobacco companies.
Bloomberg, a billionaire philanthropist, said, "We are at a critical moment in the global effort to reduce tobacco use, because the significant gains we have seen are at risk of being undermined by the tobacco industry's use of trade agreements and litigation.
He further said, "We will stand with nations as they work to protect their populations against the deadly health effects of tobacco use."
Bill Gates, chairman of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said that country leaders who are making sincere efforts in protecting their citizens from the ill effects of tobacco should not be discouraged by threats of legal actions from tobacco industry giants.
While the number of smokers are declining in several parts of the world, they are increasing in Mediterranean and African countries. According to the World Health Organization, 80 percent of the world's one billion smokers reside in middle-income and low-income countries. Uruguay was the first Latin American country to prohibit smoking in public spaces in 2006.
Cigarette packs carry graphic warning photos to warn people the dangers of smoking. Cigarette advertising is banned on newspapers, radio and television. Furthermore, tobacco companies are not allowed to use marketing terms such as mild or light.
According to College Tobacco Prevention Resource, smoking is linked with respiratory infections, ulcers, stroke, lung cancer, coronary heart disease, uterine cancer, stomach cancer and bronchitis.