Dr. Derek Yach, former Executive Director of Noncommunicable Disease and Mental Health at the World Health Organization, is on a mission to create a smoke free world. At the WHO, he worked on the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the first treaty of its kind, and led the Global Strategy on Diet and Physical Activity. Since this treaty was implemented in over 160 countries worldwide, Derek helped establish the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World with funding of $80 million annually for 12 years pledged by Philip Morris International, “to accelerate global efforts to reduce health impacts and deaths from smoking, with the goal of ultimately eliminating smoking worldwide". Today, we discuss his life's work, and how he is helping tobacco farmers rid their dependency on tobacco crops and helping to usher in a smoke-free world.
