Finarelli: “We are working to strengthen the dialogue and scientific collaboration between Indonesian and Italian universities and the collaboration between Catania and Jakarta is an important first step in this direction”
Smoking in Indonesia is not just a bad habit, it is an epidemic. Walking around the main streets of the most famous cities of Indonesia (Jakarta, Ubud, Bandung and even the famous Gili Islands) means realizing how much smoking strongly affects the lives of Indonesians. Children who smoke while playing, elderly people cycling while smoking, groups of people standing at a corner smoking cigarettes. Smoking in Indonesia is not just a bad habit, it is part of the daily actions of every single individual, whether he is a minor, an elderly, a sick or a healthy young person.
Fighting smoking in Indonesia is a mission that many experts accepted with pride and determination. To accomplish the mission, this morning some researchers from the University of Padjadjaran, which is partner of two CoEHAR projects supported by the Foundation for a Smoke Free World, “Smile Study” and “Replica 2.0“, have held an international webinar with leading Harm Reduction experts and more than 200 attendees from all over the world.
At the base of today speeches, the most innovative solutions to help Indonesian smokers changing their lifestyle to say goodbye to conventional cigarettes once for all.
At the event, coordinated by Prof. Ronny Lesmana (Professor of Fiosiology of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Padjadjaran and member of the Replica project), the Italian ambassador in Jakarta, Head of the Economic and Commercial Office, Giovanni Finarelli. Prof. Riccardo Polosa, Founder of the CoEHAR, who brought the greetings of the University of Catania to the Indonesian event; Dr. Lia Emma, researcher in the Replica project at the University of Catania, who held a lecture during the meeting.
“We really need an integration in the current policies of tobacco control in Indonesia and in the world – said Polosa – today we can implement projects of switching to less harmful products that could be really revolutionary, especially in some countries where the prevalence of smoking is terrifying. I am proud that the Indonesian government and related academia have also embraced this line of change. Harm reduction is now a recognized principle and its final adoption will help save millions of lives in Indonesia and in the rest of the world”.
The Italian Embassy in Indonesia is proud of the new initiatives created in collaboration with the University of Catania: “Making members of different countries dialogue is not only part of diplomatic activities but also of the academic mission. We are working to strengthen the dialogue and scientific collaboration between Indonesian and Italian universities and the collaboration between Catania and Jakarta is an important first step in this direction”.