The Maldives has received an award in recognition of the robust measures it has implemented for tobacco control.

The Ministry of Health stated today that the "Integrity Award" was presented to the Maldives by the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC), an international organization that studies tobacco control policies and their implementation in various countries.

Among the factors considered by the organization in granting this award is the Maldives' score on the "Tobacco Industry Interference Index," which the organization publishes biennially. The ministry added that this index includes the results of the organization's research aimed at ensuring that tobacco control policies are transparent, sincere, and free from the influence of the tobacco industry.

The Ministry of Health stated that the award was presented to the Maldives on the sidelines of the 11th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP), the governing body meeting of the international treaty on tobacco control, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), being held in Geneva, Switzerland, from the 17th to the 22nd of this month.

Dr. Salma Rasheed, the Ambassador of the Maldives in Geneva, accepted the award on behalf of the country.

The Maldives is a member of the FCTC, and a Maldivian delegation is participating in COP11.