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AHRF Jakarta 2017
Indonesia | 9 November 2017 | Shangri-La Hotel
Convening for the first time in November 2017, the Asia Harm Reduction Forum gathered health practitioners, policymakers, academics, and consumers from countries across Asia to facilitate exchanges on smoking alternatives and measures. The regional forum, hosted by Indonesia, was organized by the Yayasan Pemerhati Kesehatan Publik (YPKP), a non-governmental organization that promotes public awareness on health issues in the country. The discussions shed light on the concept and status of tobacco harm reduction based on three perspectives: consumers, policy, and science.
Event Highlights and Features:
“Consumers are at the heart of the debate on harm reduction. Customers should have options to choose which ways work best for them in alienating tobacco addiction and that government shouldn’t ban but provide necessary regulation.”
– Jeannie Cameron, CEO and Managing Director of JCIC International in Australia
AHRF Manila 2018
Philippines | 14 November 2018 | Dusit Thani Hotel
Backed by the growing body of literature, experts and academics encouraged legislators in Asia to embrace harm reduction strategies in the creation of public health policies and programs. Research studies presented by the speakers revealed the benefits of tobacco smoking and nicotine delivery alternatives, thus highlighting the need for the dissemination of accurate information across the region. Co-organized by Harm Reduction Alliance of the Philippines (HARAP) and Yayasan Pemerhati Kesehatan Publik Indonesia (YPKP), the second forum amplified the previous call among governments to allow and regulate the use of smoke-free alternatives – an initiative that can protect the health and well-being of the general public.
Event Highlights and Features:
“Many Asian countries remain very skeptical about tobacco harm reduction… Regulators need to see that tobacco harm reduction is potentially the most effective solution to solving the smoking epidemic in Asia.”
– Prof. Ron Christian Sison, HARAP Lead Convenor
AHRF Seoul 2019
South Korea | 29 August 2019 | GLAD Hotel Yeouido
Featuring a line-up of international speakers, the third AHRF expounded the importance of policy interventions, public-private partnerships, and technological innovation in addressing the smoking epidemic in Asia. More than 100 experts from 18 countries including the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Greece, Australia, and Asian countries gathered to exchange insights from the scientific, public health, regulatory and social perspectives. The AHRF 2019 was co-hosted by the Korea Harm Reduction Association (KHRA) and Yayasan Pemerhati Kesehatan Publik Indonesia (YPKP).
Event Highlights and Features:
“We are responsible for telling the truth to the public, and we will let everyone choose whatever is in their own best interests.“
– Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, Cardiologist and Research Fellow at the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center in Athens-Greece
“Harm reduction aims to decrease the harm, through implementing a long-term plan while constantly raising the awareness of its harmful effects.”
– Prof. Emeritus OkRyun Moon, KHRA Chairman
AHRF Virtual 2021
Virtual | 28 June 2021
Set on a virtual sphere, the Asia Harm Reduction Forum 2021 served as an online platform to educate a wider audience on recent studies and developments in public health. Built on the success of three events, it aimed to add to the growing literature on harm reduction and fortify the collected support from advocates in the Asian region. Over 400 attendees from India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines, among many more countries around the world were able to attend this international event right from the comfort of their own homes.
Event Highlights and Features:
“Tobacco Harm Reduction, through the use and promotion of safer alternatives to combustible tobacco, should be employed to substantially reduce the risk of death and disease of smoking.”
- Dr. Lorenzo Mata, Quit for good
AHRF Manila 2022
The Philippines| 28 October 2022 | The Manila Hotel
'Integrating Harm Reduction in Asian Policies: A Major Win for Public Health’ is the theme for this year’s forum. It will build on recent momentum, discussing the merits of harm reduction as the most effective tool to address the smoking epidemic in the Asia-Pacific region. The forum will once again underscore the importance of Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) in providing more than a billion smokers with better alternatives. The Forum includes internationally renowned and respected speakers. Attendees include scientists, experts, thinkers, consumers, legislators, regulators, and policymakers.
Event Highlights and Features:
"This law was made as a harm reduction strategy, to reduce number of smokers in the country and sway them to less harmful product... It is not our goal to have non-smokers... to be convinced and persuaded to suddently take up the habit of vaping "
- Cong. Ace Barbers
AHRF Manila 2023
The Philippines| 19 October 2023 | The Manila Hotel
As we resiliently emerge from the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asia Harm Reduction Forum 2023 has convened in-person! Serving as a premier platform for disseminating the latest scientific studies and advancements in the field of Public Health, our physical gathering fosters stronger bonds and encourages more innovative discussions on our key topics.
The fundamental right to access information is critical for all, particularly when it pertains to harm reduction strategies that empower individuals to lead healthier lives in a safer environment. This event pledges to deliver the most cutting-edge research and studies on tobacco harm reduction, offering attendees a unique platform to cultivate global connections in advancing this vital advocacy.
Event Highlights and Features:
"The regulatory approach to these products needs to strike a balance between harm reduction and public health considerations. Public health officials, policymakers, and researchers must continue to assess and refine these strategies as more data becomes available."
- Professor Jay Jazul