The Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research (ATIM) – South Africa Observatory, wishes to congratulate SARC-CCT as the South Asian Tobacco monitoring observatory at the Centre for Combating Tobacco. We also wish to congratulate you on your great work and achievements at CCT.

ATIM recognises the important work that the Sri Lankan Observatory will do to further the work of monitoring tobacco industry activities and implementation of FCTC Article 5.3 in South Asia. The significance of the establishment of the observatory in South Asia cannot be underestimated. There is increasing need to collect information and monitor the industry to ensure that there is greater understanding of the industry tactics and inform governments of attempts to interfere with tobacco control policies. ATIM will support the work of SARC-CCT for the work it will do in Sri Lanka and South Asia in general.

ATIM is the Southern African observatory hosted by the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University. It is led by internationally renowned tobacco control expert, Professor Lekan Ayo-Yusuf and monitor’s the tobacco industry on the African continent to ensure that it does not interfere with efforts by governments and world health bodies to implement tobacco control. For more information on the work of ATIM visit the website www.atim.co.za.