“Breathing in Public Spaces: The Right to Smoke-Free Air” Event Held in Ankara
A talk and exhibition in Ankara on 21 January 2026 explored the right to smoke-free air, youth policy proposals, tobacco control, and healthier public spaces.
The talk and exhibition “Breathing in Public Spaces: The Right to Smoke-Free Air” took place in Ankara on January 21, 2026. The event was organized under the “Youth Initiative for a Smoke-Free Future” project, jointly implemented by the Youth Services Center (GSM) Association and our university.
The program addressed tobacco control and smoke-free spaces as a fundamental right to life and an area of public responsibility, as well as a health issue.
The event continued with the opening of “The Story of the Packs,” an exhibition inspired by pictorial health warnings on cigarette packaging. Drawing on World Health Organization data, it highlighted tobacco use’s effects on individuals and public spaces.
Istanbul Nişantaşı University Rector Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Komsuoğlu Çıtıpıtıoğlu delivered the opening speech. Prof. Dr. Toker Ergüder, a member of the Presidency’s Health and Food Policies Board, GSM Association President Mehmet Arslan and Hasan Şişik from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s Tobacco and Alcohol Department offered assessments of tobacco control policy and the right to smoke-free air.
Policy documents prepared by members of the project’s “Smoke-Free Youth Initiative” were shared, emphasizing young people’s active participation in decision-making.
During the talk in the second part of the day, young people and experts from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Green Crescent discussed concrete steps to strengthen smoke-free spaces.
Istanbul Nişantaşı University will continue projects supporting young people’s right to live in healthy, safe public spaces through partnerships with public institutions and civil society.
