Join UNV-WHO initiative to raise awareness for World No Tobacco Day 2026

The World Health Organization serves as the directing and coordinating authority for public health within the United Nations system. WHO seeks to promote health, ensure everyone can attain the highest level of health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable through partnerships, people and countries.

World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), observed annually on 31 May, is a global public health campaign led by the World Health Organization to raise awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine use and to encourage collective action toward healthier, tobacco-free communities. For 2026, the campaign theme is: “Unmasking the appeal – countering nicotine and tobacco addiction” The campaign aims to expose how the tobacco and nicotine industry continues to target children, adolescents and young adults through attractive flavours, deceptive packaging, social media marketing and emerging nicotine products such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches. According to WHO, the Eastern Mediterranean Region has one of the highest levels of youth tobacco use globally, with millions of adolescents already using tobacco and nicotine products. Many young people are heavily exposed to digital tobacco advertising and promotion across social media platforms. To support the regional World No Tobacco Day 2026 digital campaign, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean is seeking to mobilize 1,000 Online Volunteers to amplify life-saving public health messages across digital platforms and communities. The campaign will contribute to: - Raising awareness on the dangers of tobacco, vaping and nicotine addiction; - Protecting children and youth from manipulative tobacco industry tactics; - Encouraging healthier lifestyles and tobacco-free communities; - Supporting WHO tobacco control advocacy efforts across the Eastern Mediterranean Region; - Advancing Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being. The initiative will create a large-scale regional digital movement capable of reaching millions of people through coordinated online engagement, awareness sharing and community mobilization. Volunteers will have the opportunity to strengthen their digital advocacy, communication and public engagement skills while collaborating with youth and public health advocates from different countries. The campaign will also provide volunteers with opportunities to: - Gain experience supporting a high-visibility WHO regional campaign; - Participate in networking and knowledge-sharing activities with other volunteers and campaign coordinators; - Receive official recognition and certificates from UNV upon successful completion of the campaign; - Support awareness efforts that may reach millions of people across the region.

We are seeking the support of 1,000 Youth Online Volunteers to participate in a regional digital awareness campaign for World No Tobacco Day 2026 led by the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office. As online volunteers, you will support the campaign by amplifying WHO-approved awareness content and engaging online audiences by: - Participating in virtual onboarding and orientation sessions organized by the campaign team before the launch of activities; - Sharing campaign visuals, videos, infographics and awareness messages on social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and WhatsApp; - Publishing campaign content regularly during the campaign period following the communication guidance and posting calendar provided by WHO; - Promoting key campaign hashtags and messages related to World No Tobacco Day 2026 and tobacco-free lifestyles; - Encouraging positive community discussions around the dangers of tobacco and nicotine addiction; - Helping extend campaign outreach among youth networks, universities, schools, civil society groups and online communities; - Adhere to ethical communication standards and respectful online behaviour; - Providing short progress updates and basic engagement statistics during the campaign period; - Submitting a brief final report summarizing activities completed, estimated outreach achieved and reflections from the experience. The volunteers will receive: - Ready-to-use multilingual campaign materials; - Social media toolkits and visual assets; - Official campaign messaging and hashtags; - Participation certificates from UNV upon successful completion of the assignment; - An opportunity to contribute to a high-visibility WHO regional public health campaign impacting millions across the region. The assignment is expected to take place primarily online during the World No Tobacco Day 2026 campaign period surrounding 31 May 2026.