The legacy of Dr Tabaré Vázquez will keep us – the tobacco control community – moving forward, and more determined than ever, to protect present and future generations from the deadly harms of tobacco.
Dr Tabaré Vázquez, a husband, father, physician, oncologist and former two-time President of Uruguay, undertook groundbreaking work to place public health above political and economic interests, which led to a David vs. Goliath fight with the tobacco industry. He was a consummate defender of public health, with a personal commitment to improve the health and well-being of not only Uruguayans but of people from the Americas and beyond.
Dr Vázquez was named a Public Health Hero of the Americas by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) because he eagerly promoted public health in his country and around the world. Thanks to his outstanding work, tobacco use in Uruguay decreased substantially, putting Uruguay among 13 countries in the Americas on track to reach a 30% tobacco use reduction target by 2025.
''Dr Vazquez witnessed first-hand the price that tobacco imposed to individuals, families and the health system and he took every opportunity as a physician, as an oncologist, as a professor and finally also as President, to protect people from it”, said Dr Adriana Blanco Marquizo, a fellow Uruguayan, a former colleague and currently the Head of the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).
The former president knew that in order to confront and reverse growing morbidity and mortality rates from cancer and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), political decisions and systemic strategies must be implemented.
Dr Vázquez believed firmly in the importance of implementing the WHO FCTC to protect people from the devastating harms of tobacco. Under his leadership, Uruguay became the first country in the Americas to prohibit smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces. In 2010 the Uruguayan Government enacted what at the time was the world’s largest pictorial health warning labels (80% of the front and back of tobacco packages) and prohibited various presentations for cigarettes sold under a given brand. The tobacco industry filed a complaint with the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, claiming that the measures violated a bilateral investment treaty with Switzerland. In 2016, an arbitration tribunal upheld Uruguay’s sovereign right and obligation to protect the health of its population with measures in line with the WHO FCTC.
A number of leading tobacco control advocates around the world have expressed the sadness for the passing of Dr Vázquez.
Patricia Lambert, Director of the International Legal Consortium, Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids, honoured Dr Vázquez remembering this larger-than-life of public health leader.
“The cornerstone of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is political will,” Ms. Lambert said. “Dr Tabaré Vásquez epitomized political will by courageously and successfully fighting back when Phillip Morris International attacked Uruguay’s laws as a violation of international investment law. Uruguay’s victory is of global significance because it affirms the right of every government to protect public health by passing and implementing effective tobacco control measures’’.
Dr Vázquez also was engaged in the broader fight against NCDs and has been widely recognized during his career by various organizations. In 2018, the WHO Director-General awarded him with a Special Recognition Award on World No Tobacco Day, the only Special Recognition presented that year. The World Heart Foundation, the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, among others, have also awarded his tremendous and inspiring work in public health.
The tobacco control community will always honour the legacy and courageous character of a man who understood the value of life and the importance of protecting it from those only interested in financial gain.
Dr Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva, former Head of Convention Secretariat, and a strong admirer of his work, viewed him as a champion.
“The friends of the WHO FCTC are mourning the passing of Tabaré Vázquez, former president of Uruguay,” she said. “A medical doctor by profession and an adorable man, he was a champion who went to great lengths to protect Uruguayans from tobacco harms, showing to other world leaders that people’s lives matter and can be protected beyond economic interests.”
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus remembers him as an outstanding leader and champion for health.
Dr Reina Roa, elected by the Conference of the Parties to the WHO FCTC at its eighth session to serve as a Bureau member representing the Region of the Americas, said Dr Vázquez will be sorely missed.
“Dr Vázquez was an extraordinary man, with great human sense and very committed to the right to health and life,” Dr Roa said. “Great fighter for tobacco control and against tobacco interference. We will miss you.”
Michael Bloomberg, an American businessman and health philanthropist who is a former mayor of New York City, called Dr Vázquez a champion for the Uruguayan people and a leader in the global fight against tobacco. When the industry fought him, he fought back – and won, implementing bold anti-tobacco policies that will save countless lives. His impact will be felt for decades, Mr Bloomberg added.
José Luis Castro, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vital Strategies, expressed his admiration for former President Vázquez, calling him “a visionary whose commitment to improving the health and well-being of Uruguay’s people shone through, as did his commitment to sharing his knowledge and experiences globally to improve the health of all”.
“He set an example for Latin America and the world, standing up to vested interests and speaking clearly on the links between the drivers of ill health, poverty and preventable death and disease,” Mr Castro said. “The world has lost a true leader who believed change was possible and that governments should be held to account. Our challenge – and our best way to honour his memory – is to continue this important work.”
Laurent Huber, Executive Director of Action on Smoking and Health, said, “President Vázquez was a champion of public health and involvement of civil society in health governance.
“Early in his presidency, he delivered a powerful speech calling for strong tobacco control legislation at an event organized by civil society in collaboration with governments from the Region of the Americas,” Mr Huber said. “Within less than a year after the event, he walked his talk by issuing a decree making Uruguay smoke free and protecting the right of its citizens rather than the commercial interests of the tobacco industry.
“Former President Vázquez continued to live by that mentality, keeping his doctor’s hat on and serving as a sort of global doctor, working in the best interests of citizens of the world in and out of office,” Mr Huber added. “His impact will last generations by the lives his policies saved. We will all aim to continue his powerful work.”
Dr Bronwyn King, Chief Executive Officer of Tobacco Free Portfolios, expressed her thoughts on the passing of the former president:“The Tobacco Free Portfolios team would like to pass on our sincere condolences to the people of Uruguay on the passing of former President Tabaré Vásquez. He will always be remembered as an iconic hero for the global tobacco control community, and his legacy will live on in our collective, steadfast commitment to bring an end to the tobacco epidemic.”
The Secretariat of the WHO FCTC recognizes his enduring legacy and will keep the Global Health Hero in its heart and will continue working together with the broader tobacco control community to continue the fight against the tobacco epidemic and to protect and save lives.