As part of its commitment and continuous efforts to fight illegal trade, Philip Morris International has launched PMI IMPACT, an important initiative aimed at funding projects to confront smuggling and related crimes, which severely damage the economy and undermine society’s security by fueling corruption and other crimes.   

The initiative, launched on May 27, 2016, is addressed to private, public, and non-governmental organizations and entails USD 100 million funds for projects in three focus areas: research, education and awareness, and action against illegal trade. An external council of independent experts in the fields of law, anti-corruption and fight against organized crime, will select funding proposals for grants.

Illegal trade is an entrenched phenomenon that depends on and sustains extensive criminal activity. Estimates put the total retail value of illegally traded goods at USD 650 billion, with active black markets for countless products, ranging from pharmaceuticals, food, and tobacco to weapons and wildlife. The most atrocious of all illegal trade, human trafficking, is beyond any financial estimate.

PMI Impact is also part of PMI’s commitment to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which among other topics, call for accountable and transparent institutions, sustainable reduction of corruption and bribery in all its forms, the promotion of the rule of law and the elimination of all forms of organized crime.