The meeting, held in Bogor city in West Java on Wednesday and Thursday gathered representatives of 12 countries who discussed strategies for tobacco control in the region.

The summit resulted in 12 points of agreement that aim to strengthen the enforcement of regulations to control the health, economic, environmental and social consequences of tobacco consumption, including the spread of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Bogor Mayor Bima Arya Sugiarto said the event was aimed at campaigning for tobacco control and designing scenarios in controlling tobacco consumption at the Asia Pacific level.

“Overall, NCDs are preventable. Therefore, we commit to accelerating [efforts] to end tobacco consumption and production and prevent NCDs,” Bima said last week as reported by Antara news agency.

Among the 12 points in the agreement are establishing 100 percent smoking-free areas in public places and banning tobacco advertisements, promotions and sponsorships, including displaying cigarettes at local stores.

Another important point in the agreement is a pledge among country members to find local parties that can conduct research on and monitor tobacco use and NCDs to find scientific evidence on the public health benefits and cost-saving of tobacco control.

In response to the growing use of e-cigarettes, AP-CAT participants also agreed to urge their respective governments to ban the pervasive use of these devices, alongside other kinds of smoking products such as vaporizers and shisha.

E-cigarettes, which were previously touted as safe alternatives to conventional cigarettes, have recently been in the spotlight following deaths and lung-related illnesses attributed to them in the United States.

AP-CAT — which is organized by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), an NGO that spearheads campaigns promoting tobacco control and is dedicated to fighting the tobacco epidemic — was attended by representatives of 27 city mayors from 12 country members.

Besides Indonesia, there were representatives from Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao, Timor Leste, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

As stated on The Union’s official website, AP-CAT is aimed at building stronger political commitments and strengthening networks among cities in the region to enhance tobacco control and improve public health.

There are three main objectives of AP-CAT: to implement comprehensive tobacco control policies, create local innovations and solutions to prevent non-communicable diseases and prevent the tobacco industry’s interference in policy development.

It was the first time the summit was held in Bogor, Bima said last week, adding that the previous three conferences were held in Singapore.

He proudly stated that Bogor had been chosen to host the 2019 AP-CAT because it was among the Indonesian cities that implemented strict regulations on tobacco consumption and circulation.

Through the issuance of a 2009 bylaw on smoke-free areas, Bima said the city had expanded areas in which people are prohibited to smoke.

The bylaw stipulates eight areas that should be free from cigarette smoke at all times. In addition to schools, medical centers and places where children most likely gather, the list also includes houses of worship, office buildings, public transportation facilities, sports facilities and public places in general.

The bylaw also bans the advertisement of tobacco products in outdoor spaces and tobacco company-sponsored events.

“In Bogor, you will not see cigarette advertisements. We will expand the bylaw’s implementation; this is our commitment to campaigning for tobacco control,” he said.

He added that contrary to popular belief that banning cigarette ads would decrease the city’s income, Bogor instead experienced a surge in tax income in 2017.

The city also issued a mayoral decree in 2013 on the prohibition of cigarette advertisement. In 2015, another bylaw was issued to regulate specific regulations on the matter and was strengthened by another mayoral decree issued in 2016.

When the city administration started to ban cigarette advertisements, Bogor earned Rp 12.4 billion (US$875,000) in revenue from billboards out of a total revenue of Rp 398.3 billion, up from Rp 11.5 billion and Rp 376.4 billion earned in previous years.

In 2016, the city earned Rp 13 billion in billboard taxes and a total revenue of Rp 492 billion.

That time, Bima said the city was persistent in banning any kind of outdoor advertisements for cigarette products.

“It’s okay if we don’t get sponsored by cigarette companies. I will not back down, given that cigarette brings more harm [than good]. I will never choose money over the health of children in Bogor and let them become addicted to cigarettes,” he said.

Article 16 of the 2009 bylaw stipulates that individuals and/or institutions that sell cigarettes within smoke-free areas are not allowed to clearly display the products; they should instead display a sign informing customers that they sell them.

Anyone caught violating the policy could be punished with up to three days in jail or be fined up to Rp 1 million.

If the violation is made by an institution or agency, their leader could be charged with up to one week and three weeks’ detention, respectively, and face a fine of Rp 5 million or Rp 15 million.

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