“Tobacco use is one of the top threats to human health, killing half the people who use it,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, marking World No Tobacco Day, observed annually on 31 May.

“When we reduce people’s exposure to tobacco advertising, we reduce the likelihood that they will start to use tobacco,” he said.

Tobacco is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. By 2030, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that it will kill more than 8 million people every year, with four out of five of these deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries.

Most users start consuming tobacco before the age of 20, making young people a key target of tobacco advertising. Worldwide, 78 per cent of young people aged 13-15 report regular exposure to some form of tobacco promotion.

“Tobacco use ranks right at the very top of the list of universal threats to health yet is entirely preventable,” said WHO’s Director-General Margaret Chan. “Governments must make it their top priority to stop the tobacco industry’s shameless manipulation of young people and women, in particular, to recruit the next generation of nicotine addicts.”

WHO research has shown that bans on tobacco advertising are one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking, with countries that have already introduced these measures showing an average 7 per cent reduction in tobacco consumption.

While bans are highly effective, WHO stressed that legislation needs to be comprehensive, as there are multiple ways to target potential smokers including placement of tobacco products in films and television, engaging trendsetters to influence people, handing out branded products that attract youth, and using media such as pro-smoking mobile applications and online discussions with tobacco industry members posing as consumers to sway conversations.

WHO’s report on the global tobacco epidemic 2011 shows that only 19 countries have reached the highest level of achievement in banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and that more than one third of countries have minimal or no restrictions at all.

Mr. Ban and Ms. Chan urged countries to live up to their commitments under the WHO Framework Conventions on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and implement comprehensive bans on all tobacco advertising promotion and sponsorship.

The FCTC requires parties to introduce a comprehensive ban of all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship within five years of the entry into force of the Framework Convention for that party. Adopted in 2003, the FCTC now has 176 Parties, covering 88 per cent of the world’s population.

The number of employed persons decreased by 2.4% compared with the previous quarter, and by 8.5% compared with the 1st Quarter of 2011. The number of unemployed persons increased by 9.2% compared with the previous quarter and by 57.3% compared with the 1st Quarter of 2011.

The unemployment rate for females (26,5%) is considerably higher than the unemployment rate for males (19.7%).

By observing the unemployment rate for different age groups, we notice that the highest unemployment rate is recorded among young people in the age group of 15-24 years (52.7%). For young females, the unemployment rate is 60.4%.

As regards the educational attainment level, the unemployment rate is higher among persons who have not attended school (34.3%), for those who did not completed primary education (33.1%) and those who have completed lower secondary education (25.2%). The lowest unemployment rates are observed among persons who have completed post- graduate studies or have doctorate (12.0%), and among those who have completed university (15.7%).

46.8% of those looking for job as employees are looking exclusively for a full time job, while 45.6% are looking for full time job, but, if needed, would accept to work part time. 7.5% are looking for a part time job or they do not care if they found a full or a part time job.

5.7% οf the unemployed persons did not accept a job offer, during the 1st Quarter of 2012, because of various reasons. The main reasons reported were: a) the location of the job was not suitable (30.0%), b) the wage was not satisfactory (24.6%), c) the working hours were not convenient (17.0%).

The percentage of the “new” unemployed, that is the percentage of persons who entered for the first time labour market, is 23.8%. We should note that the percentage of the “long term” unemployed, that is the percentage of persons that have been looking for a job for more than 1 year (irrespectively of being “new” or “old” unemployed), is 56.5%.

The unemployment rate is higher for persons of foreign nationality (30.5%) compared with those of Greek nationality (21.8%). On the contrary, the percentage of the economically active persons with foreign nationality is much higher than the corresponding percentage for persons of Greek nationality (71.7% compared to 51.7%).

The geographical areas (NUTS II regions) with the highest unemployment rate are West Macedonia (28.5%) and Central Macedonia (24.7%). The lowest unemployment rates are observed in South Aegean (13.9%) and Ionian Islands (15.9%).