The World Health Organization is pressing for countries to raise the prices of sugary drinks, alcohol and tobacco by 50% over 10 years through taxation, to the highest thrust it gives to so -called “sin taxes” with the aim of contributing to their public health and public health problems.

The United Nations Health Service said that this move could help reduce the consumption of products, which contribute to diseases such as diabetes and some cancers, as well as increasing spending at a time when development assistance is drastically reduced and public debt is increasing.

“Healthy are one of the most effective tools we have,” said Jeremy Farar, his deputy general manager who for promoting health and preventing and controlling diseases. “It’s time to act.”

The WHO presented the initiative, which he named “3 to 35” at the United Nations Summit for Development in Seville.

According to the World Health Organization, this tax initiative could generate $ 1 trillion by 2035 based on data from health taxes in countries such as Colombia and South Africa.

WHO has supported the imposition of tobacco taxes and price increases for decades and has requested taxes on alcohol and sugar beverages in recent years, but it is the first time that it has proposed a targeted price increase for all three products. Its general manager Tedros Antanom Gembregens told the meeting that taxes could help governments “adapt to the new reality” and boost their own health systems with the money they raise.

For example, it could mean that a government in a medium -income country would increase taxes on these products to push the price of $ 4 today to $ 10 to 2035, taking into account inflation, said Guillermo Santoval’s health economist. Nearly 140 countries have already increased tobacco taxes and therefore prices by 50% and on average between 2012 and 2022, he added.

Santoval also said that the World Health Organization is also considering issuing recommendations for wider taxation, including over-processed foods.