In January 2007, Michael R. Bloomberg, philanthropist and Mayor of New York City, launched a US$125 million global initiative to reduce tobacco use in low- and middle-income countries. Five key partner organizations were named to implement the Initiative and help coordinate activities to curb the epidemic, working in partnership and close coordination with other organizations involved in international tobacco control. The four major objectives of the Bloomberg Initiative are: 1. To refine and optimize tobacco control programs to help smokers stop using tobacco and to prevent children from starting. 2. To support public sector efforts to pass and enforce key laws and implement effective policies, including taxing cigarettes, preventing smuggling, altering the image of tobacco and protecting workers from exposure to secondhand smoke. 3. To support advocates’ efforts to educate communities about the harms of tobacco and to enhance tobacco control activities that work towards a tobacco-free world. 4. To develop a rigorous system to monitor the status of global tobacco use. | 
