LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) announced today 31 projects selected for funding in the second round of PMI IMPACT, a global initiative supporting third party programs dedicated to fighting illegal trade and related crimes. The PMI IMPACT Expert Council reviewed and selected the projects from more than 157 proposals.

The successful applicants come from 23 countries in Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Asia, North and South America, representing a broad range of sectors including think tanks, academic institutions, universities and law enforcement authorities. A total of $21 million has been allocated for the implementation of the selected projects.

“The projects announced today stand out for their innovative thinking and systematic approach to addressing the complexities of illegal trade and its links to a broader range of criminal activities,” stated Paul Makin, member of the PMI IMPACT Expert Council. “We are looking forward to seeing these ideas come to fruition and thereby help advance the global efforts to strengthen security and prevent crime around the world.”

The selected projects will address multiple aspects of illegal trade – ranging from tobacco, alcohol and pharmaceutical products to the trafficking of rare animal species. Beyond illegal trade, the projects will tackle a broad network of related crimes such as drug trafficking, money laundering and modern day slavery.

PMI announced the results of the second PMI IMPACT funding round during the meeting of the OECD Task Force on Countering Illicit Trade. “Fighting illicit trade is in PMI’s DNA and I am delighted that PMI IMPACT is enabling organizations around the world to really make a difference against illegal trade, not only in tobacco but across a wide range of sectors,” stated Alvise Giustiniani, PMI’s Vice President Illicit Trade Prevention. “It’s only through concerted efforts and broad public-private collaboration that we’ll be able to implement meaningful and long-term solutions against illegal trade.”

The projects are expected to be completed over the next two years and include:

• Projects that seek to better      understand the links and drivers around organized crime and illegal      activities in high risk border areas and provide analysis and      recommendations on how to tackle them;

• Actions to use innovative      digital tools and solutions to create databases and platforms to allow for      the capture and identification of key trends in illegal trade;

• Initiatives to raise awareness      on the impact of illegal trade and develop dialogue between public and      private sector actors in tackling the issue; and

• Programs to tackle specific      areas of concern and the links between different forms of illicit trade as      part of global criminal networks.

A list of the selected projects is available on the PMI IMPACT website:

http://pmi-impact.com/updates/secondfundinground

To date, PMI IMPACT has allocated a combined $49 million for the implementation of more than 60 projects in 41 countries as part of the initiative’s first and second funding rounds.

Philip Morris International: Building a Smoke-Free Future

Philip Morris International (PMI) is leading a transformation in the tobacco industry to create a smoke-free future and ultimately replace cigarettes with smoke-free products to the benefit of adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, society, the company and its shareholders. PMI is a leading international tobacco company engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, smoke-free products and associated electronic devices and accessories, and other nicotine-containing products in markets outside the U.S. PMI is building a future on a new category of smoke-free products that, while not risk-free, are a much better choice than continuing to smoke. Through multidisciplinary capabilities in product development, state-of-the-art facilities and scientific substantiation, PMI aims to ensure that its smoke-free products meet adult consumer preferences and rigorous regulatory requirements. PMI's smoke-free IQOS product portfolio includes heated tobacco and nicotine-containing vapor products. As of December 31, 2018, PMI estimates that approximately 6.6 million adult smokers around the world have already stopped smoking and switched to PMI’s heated tobacco product, which is currently available for sale in 44 markets in key cities or nationwide under the IQOS brand. For more information, see our PMI and PMIScience websites.