By Ayomide Otitoju
The Secretariat of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) has issued a warning that the tobacco industry is stepping up efforts to undermine global tobacco control measures by interfering with the upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP), the treaty’s highest decision-making body.
The WHO FCTC, which entered into force two decades ago, is the first treaty negotiated under the WHO and remains one of the most widely adopted UN treaties, with 183 Parties. The Eleventh Session of the COP will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, from November 17 to 22, 2025, bringing together representatives from member countries to advance global tobacco control policies. Discussions will include measures to curb nicotine addiction and protect both public health and the environment.
Following the COP, the Meeting of the Parties (MOP) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products will be held from November 24 to 26 in Geneva. The Protocol, which came into force in 2018, has 71 Parties and serves as a key framework for combatting illicit tobacco trade.
Andrew Black, Acting Head of the WHO FCTC Secretariat, cautioned that the tobacco industry’s actions go beyond lobbying, describing them as “a deliberate strategy to derail consensus and weaken implementation of the treaty.” He urged governments, civil society, and other stakeholders to stay vigilant against industry manipulation and misinformation, emphasizing the need for full implementation of Article 5.3 of the Convention, which obligates Parties to protect public health policies from commercial interests.
Independent civil society groups monitoring the industry have documented several interference tactics, including:
Political capture: Influencing national delegations by placing sympathetic actors in key positions.
Front groups: Using industry-funded organizations disguised as trade, science, or consumer groups.
Distorting science: Promoting misleading research to undermine proven tobacco control measures.
Economic pressure: Misrepresenting the industry’s impact on jobs, farming, and tax revenues.
Access infiltration: Attempting to gain observer status or participation in COP-related events.
The WHO FCTC Secretariat is urging all Parties to:
Fully implement Article 5.3 across all branches of government to prevent industry influence.
Exclude tobacco industry representatives from national delegations to COP and MOP meetings.
Reject any form of industry-linked funding or partnerships.
Educate non-health ministries on tobacco industry interference tactics.
Use monitoring tools such as the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index to detect and counter industry manipulation.
The Secretariat reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the integrity of global tobacco control efforts, warning that industry interference poses one of the greatest threats to public health progress worldwide.
