As world observed No Tobacco Day today, the WHO honoured Beijing city for banning smoking in public places from tomorrow, hoping that the award will encourage rest of China, world's largest tobacco producer and consumer with over 300 million smokers to follow suit.
With smokers almost the size of the US population and another 740 million people exposed to second-hand smoke and over a million smoking related deaths every year, China was regarded the last significant frontier for anti-tobacco activists to cross.
After a number of campaigns, the ruling Communist Party of China, gave the final nod for Beijing, the city with over 21 million population to impose the ban on smoking in public places overcoming the pressures from tobacco lobby which delivers billions of dollars revenue annually.
The ban is the country's toughest to date, as it prohibits smoking in all the city's indoor public places, workplaces, and on public transportation.
"We applauded Beijing for its strong and determined leadership in protecting the health of its people by making public places smoke-free. We are delighted to be formally recognising the Beijing Municipal Government with a WHO World No Tobacco Day Award," Shin Young-soo, Regional Director for the World Health Organisation (WHO )Western Pacific Regional Office said.
According to the WHO, Beijing's law is compliant with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and when fully implemented, will have a major impact on the health of Beijing's millions of residents.
Following the ban, the capital's airport will close three smoking rooms in its three terminals and open 11 smoking spaces outside.
New outdoor smoking areas will be available at more than 600 bus stops around the city.
Residents can report indoor smoking in public venues, and law enforcement officers will patrol Beijing's roads to help implement the regulation.
However there is public scepticism over its implementation.
According to an online survey conducted by the state-run Xinhua news agency prior to the implementation of the ban, of 22,392 participants polled as of Saturday, only 17 per cent believe the ban will be effective, and 49 per cent worry about its feasibility while another 34 per cent believe it is more important for the country to reduce tobacco output.
"After the ban takes effect, the city's law enforcement still needs to work out ways to implement the regulations to the letter and make smokers who defy the ban receive due punishment," Xu Guihua, deputy director of the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control said.
