The Bloomberg Initiative (BI) to Reduce Tobacco use was launched in 2006. It is the result of a commitment by Mr. Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, to donate $125 million towards ending the global tobacco epidemic. The BI focuses on the following four components:

• Refine and optimize tobacco control programs to help smokers stop and prevent children from starting
• Support public sector efforts to pass and enforce key laws and implement effective policies, in particular to tax cigarettes, prevent smuggling, change the image of tobacco, and protect workers from exposure to other people’s smoke
• Support advocates’ efforts to educate communities about the harms of tobacco and to enhance tobacco control activities
• Develop a rigorous system to monitor the status of global tobacco use

This project was completed in February, 2011. The Union appreciated the collaboration and the support provided by Ministry of Health, Government of Pakistan.

Keeping in view the progress achieved, this project was extended for two years as Reinvestment Project.Activities under this project are being carried out in 20 model districts (ICT, Punjab, KPK, Sindh and Balochistan).