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Sent on behalf of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)
Monday, 17 November 2025
NEWS RELEASE
Government leaders open critical meeting to combat the global tobacco epidemic
[https://fctc.who.int/newsroom/news/item/17-11-2025-government-leaders-open-critical-meeting-to-combat-the-global-tobacco-epidemic]
Geneva, 17 November 2025 — More than 1400 delegates gathered here today to begin deliberations on accelerated action on tobacco control at the opening of the Eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
The opening day was capped by a high-level strategic dialogue reviewing two decades of progress under the Convention, also known as the WHO FCTC, the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO), and one of the most widely and rapidly embraced treaties in United Nations history.
The delegates from government, international organizations and civil society – representing 162 Parties to the WHO FCTC – began discussions on a wide range of measures to stem tobacco use, which kills more than 7 million people annually, and to protect the environment from the harms caused by tobacco production, use and waste.
“COP11 provides an opportunity for Parties to consider important issues including forward-looking tobacco control measures, environmental protection, liability and measures to prevent and reduce tobacco consumption, nicotine addiction and exposure to tobacco smoke,” said Andrew Black, Acting Head of the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC.
“The Secretariat of the WHO FCTC welcomes all Parties and observers to COP11 to promote international cooperation and move ahead with global action to address the global tobacco epidemic,” he added.
In addition to the strategic dialogue that reviewed progress on tobacco control in the 20 years since the WHO FCTC entered into force, a ministerial round table organised by the Government of Belgium addressed the pressing issue of nicotine addiction among young people and how to prevent it amid the wide availability and marketing of e-cigarettes and other novel tobacco and nicotine products. Discussions at the round table focused on national approaches and lessons learned and the potential role of the WHO FCTC in tackling the issue.
The first day also included the launch of the 2025 Global Progress Report on Implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, [https://fctc.who.int/convention/progress/global-progress-reports] a biennial report issued by the Convention Secretariat based on the analysis of the reports submitted by the Parties on their implementation of the Convention, including their achievements and the challenges they face in their implementation work.
The most frequently cited constraints and barriers faced by reporting Parties were the lack of staff and human resources, insufficient financial resources and interference by the tobacco industry and its allies.
COP11, organized around the theme of “20 years of change – uniting generations for a tobacco-free future”, will consider a wide range of matters that will affect future implementation of the WHO FCTC by its Parties and the work of the Convention Secretariat. These include:
Regulation of contents and disclosure of tobacco products (Articles 9 and 10 of the WHO FCTC);Implementation of Article 19 of the WHO FCTC: Liability;Forward-looking tobacco control measures (Article 2.1 of the WHO FCTC);Protection of the environment and the health of persons (Article 18 of the WHO FCTC); andImplementation of measures to prevent and reduce tobacco consumption, nicotine addiction and exposure to tobacco smoke, and the protection of such measures from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry in light of the tobacco industry’s narrative on “harm reduction” (Articles 5.2(b) and 5.3 of the WHO FCTC).
COP11 will be followed by the Fourth Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products on 24–26 November.
Notes to editors:
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the governing body of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and comprises all Parties to the Convention. It keeps under regular review the implementation of the Convention and takes the decisions necessary to promote its effective implementation.
The WHO FCTC is the first international treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization. It was adopted by the World Health Assembly on 21 May 2003 and entered into force on 27 February 2005. It has since become one of the most rapidly and widely embraced treaties in United Nations history, with 183 Parties.
The WHO FCTC was developed in response to the globalization of the tobacco epidemic and is an evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health. The Convention represents a milestone for the promotion of public health and provides new legal dimensions for international health cooperation.
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