The World Health Organization (WHO) extends its heartfelt congratulations to Mauritius for earning its second international award this year for outstanding leadership in tobacco control.

Indeed, Mauritius has once again made global headlines—this time as the recipient of the 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Award for Global Tobacco Control, recognizing the country’s bold and pioneering tobacco control

At this week’s Global Tobacco Conference in Dublin, Mr. Sarwansingh Purmessur, Senior Chief Executive of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, proudly accepted the award from Mr. Michael R. Bloomberg, Founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries.

This is the second global recognition for Mauritius in 2025, after the WHO Director General’s Special Recognition Award – received by Hon Anil Kumar Bachoo, the Minister of Health and Wellness during the 78th World Health Assembly in May 2025 in Geneva.

 The Bloomberg Philanthropies particularly celebrates Mauritius as the first African nation to introduce plain tobacco packaging, a bold step that complements graphic health warnings to strike a decisive blow against tobacco industry marketing and warn the public about the devastating health consequences of tobacco and nicotine use.

“The implementation of WHO MPOWER strategies has saved tens of millions of lives,” said Mr. Bloomberg. “But we must continue the fight to protect the world’s population from tobacco-related harms.”

Further cementing its leadership role, Mauritius was invited by WHO as a special panelist for the launch of the new WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic. Representing the nation, Ms. Damini Mohur, National Tobacco Control Focal Point, shared Mauritius’s powerful success story—offering inspiration for countries around the world.

Mauritius is leading by example—and the world is taking notice.