Participating Countries Urged to Accelerate Implementation
World No Tobacco Day, 31 May 2025
According to a new report endorsed by 57 civil society organizations worldwide, the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has been compromised by several global disruptions. These disruptions include the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, wars and political conflict. This global instability has contributed to 95 million additional tobacco users who would have otherwise quit by 2025.
“The worldwide tobacco control effort is resilient, but it’s not immune to global disruptions that are affecting many aspects of sustainable development,” said Les Hagen, executive director of ASH Canada and the primary author of the report. “These disruptions are compromising tobacco control efforts around the world. The situation would likely be much worse if not for the momentum created by 20 years of treaty implementation”.
The report addresses Target 3a of the UN Sustainable Development Goals—tobacco treaty implementation—and was recently submitted to the UN Economic and Social Council, which oversees global sustainable development. In July, the Council will review the implementation of SDG Goal 3—good health and well-being—including tobacco control.
“Tobacco control and FCTC implementation contribute substantially to the Sustainable Development Goals, and this impact extends beyond global health,” said Dr Rakesh Gupta, chair of the tobacco control section for the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. “Given the enormous footprint of tobacco and the ruthless industry behind it, tobacco control also helps to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the environment, and enhance working conditions and social justice.”
According to the report, the tobacco industry's influence over governments and policymakers is also compromising the implementation of the treaty. Article 5.3 of the Convention requires participating countries to adopt strong rules to curb industry interference with the development of health policies, including tobacco control regulations.
“By fully implementing Article 5.3 of the Convention, participating countries can shield themselves from the influence of the tobacco industry, protect public health, and improve treaty adherence and compliance,” said Lilia Olifer, director of the Smoke-Free Partnership (Europe). “Tobacco companies are the poster child of corporate misbehaviour and need to be restrained by governments”.
The report includes several other recommendations for participating countries to accelerate treaty implementation, including adopting high-impact policies such as tax increases, smoking bans, graphic health warnings, restrictions on advertising and marketing and using tobacco tax revenue to finance domestic tobacco control programs. The report also encourages countries to collaborate with civil society organizations to support the development of high-impact policies and programs.
“We urge participating countries to make up for lost ground on tobacco control by accelerating the implementation of high-impact policies and programs,” said Dr Gan Quan, senior vice-president of tobacco control at Vital Strategies. “The proposed policy measures are effective in reducing tobacco use and cost very little to implement. However, countries can secure more funding through increased tobacco taxes, which will also help to reduce consumption.”
The report on SDG Target 3a (FCTC treaty implementation) was produced using data obtained from the Global Tobacco Control Progress Hub, an open-access online surveillance platform that monitors the treaty implementation. The Progress Hub is a collaboration between ASH Canada and the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The platform was funded through a grant from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use.
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is an evidence-based public health treaty to reduce tobacco use globally. The Convention came into effect in 2005 and has been ratified by 183 countries participating in its domestic implementation. Treaty implementation has been credited with saving millions of premature deaths resulting from tobacco use.