Tag: Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

COP10: Activists Demand Evidence-Based Approach

Nancy Loucas (Photo: CAPHRA)
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) has called on the World Health Organization and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to adopt a more transparent, open and evidence-based approach to tobacco harm reduction.
“This demand comes in light of the upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP10) in Panama, where governments will discuss global strategies to address the tobacco epidemic”, said Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of CAPHRA.
CAPHRA’s critique aligns with the insights of Clive Bates, a renowned tobacco control expert, who has highlighted the WHO’s counterproductive stance on safer nicotine alternatives such as vaping and heated tobacco products. Bates argues that the WHO’s approach, which often leans towards prohibition, inadvertently protects the cigarette trade, fosters black markets, and prolongs the epidemic of smoking-related diseases.
“CAPHRA emphasizes the need for the WHO and FCTC to engage with all stakeholders, including consumer groups, and to consider the full spectrum of scientific evidence when formulating policies,” said Loucas.
“We believe that the focus should be on reducing the harm caused by smoked tobacco, which is the primary contributor to tobacco-related health issues.”
CAPHRA also calls for webcasting and public access to the entire COP10 meeting to ensure transparency and accountability.
“The positions adopted by delegates and observers should be open for all to see, fostering a more inclusive and evidence-driven dialogue”, said Loucas.
In the spirit of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the FCTC treaty, CAPHRA advocates for a re-evaluation of the treaty’s approach to tobacco harm reduction, urging parties to consider the potential benefits of risk-proportionate regulations that protect public health while ensuring the availability of safer nicotine alternatives.
February 6, 2024
COP10 Kicks Off

Tobacco growers demanding to be heard during COP4 (Photo: ITGA)
The parties to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control will meet this week in Panama for their 10^th gathering (COP10). Originally scheduled for November 2023, the event was postponed to Feb 5-10, 2024, due to civil unrest in the host country.
Experts who have been following the preparations expect debates this week about the “tobacco endgame,” which includes nicotine reduction, retailer quotas and generational tobacco purchasing bans. They also anticipate talks on contents and emissions testing and measurements, filters and ventilation, and pricing and tax increases.
In the runup to the event, documents have been released for discussions about extending advertising/sponsorship restrictions to corporate campaigns and newer media; supporting anti-tobacco litigation; and discouraging industry diversification into pharmaceuticals and other areas. Also on the agenda: a proposal to redefine aerosol from tobacco-heating products as smoke—a move that critics have described as an attempt to rewrite basic scientific principles.
In addition, the COP delegates will consider recognizing tobacco control as fundamental to the right to health, clearing the way to attack the industry as a violator of human rights and subject it to additional liability. Participants in the Panama event will likely also debate emerging evidence on new products. They may push for e-cigarettes and tobacco-heating products to be regulated like combustible cigarettes, a development that critics say is not based on science and would discourage the tobacco harm reduction efforts that have been underway in many countries.
Industry officials, grower representatives and consumer groups have criticized the COP for its exclusionary practices and what they view as a prohibitionist agenda. While FCTC Article 5.3 instructs member states to protect policymaking from undue industry influence, critics say this provision has been used as an excuse to shut down all communications.
“The [FCTC] treaty, which came into force in 2003 and held its first COP in 2005, originally had the very legitimate aim of controlling tobacco consumption in order to counter its harmful effects on health,” said Jose Javier Aranda, president of the International Tobacco Growers Association, in a statement.
“Since then, its objectives have been radically modified. Throughout the treaty’s long history, tobacco growers and their legitimate representatives at global level, the International Tobacco Growers’ Association have observed an increase in the radicalization of the methods applied by the FCTC, in which exclusion and lack of transparency have set the tone.”
“At COP10, decisions are being made without the input of those most affected—the consumers. This exclusion is unacceptable. Harm reduction saves lives, and it’s imperative that this is recognized and integrated into global tobacco control policies, said Michael Landl, director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, in a statement.
“By sidelining the voices of those directly impacted, the WHO FCTC is ignoring a fundamental human rights issue,” said Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates. “Individuals seeking to protect their loved ones and themselves from the harms of smoking are being denied access to less harmful alternatives. This is not just a failure in policy but a failure in compassion.”
COP10 will be followed the third session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco, Feb 12-15.
February 5, 2024
Philippines Urged To Support Farmers at COP

Photo: Phiilip Morris Fortune Tobacco Co.
Filipino tobacco growers are asking their government to advocate for their livelihoods at the 10^th Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which is scheduled to take place Feb. 5-10 in Panama.
“Our lives are deeply intertwined with tobacco farming,” Leonardo Montemayor, a former agriculture secretary and board chairman of the Federation of Free Farmers, told The Manila Standard. “It is a way of life and our means of survival amid harsh economic headwinds. With the Department of Agriculture roadmap affirming its long-term support for tobacco farming, we hope that the Philippine government will take that commitment to heart when championing our industry in this upcoming COP.
The National Tobacco Administration (NTA) recently launched the Sustainable Tobacco Enhancement Program (STEP), an initiative aimed at boosting indigenous tobacco cultivation, particularly in Mindanao.
Saturnino Distor, president of the Philippine Tobacco Growers Association, said STEP would improve tobacco farmers prospects, especially with the regulation of safer alternatives to cigarettes like vapes and e-cigarettes. “Studies and science show these are better than cigarettes. That’s where the industry is headed, so we have hope that tobacco farming will continue,” he said.
“Tobacco farming sustains millions of farmers and their families, as well as workers in the industry,” Distor said. “Switching crops requires significant investment in new infrastructure. If the future of alternative products is uncertain, what about the future of farmers? We appeal for compassionate and humane policies.”
The Philippine tobacco sector employs more than 2.1 million people and contributes significantly to government income, with PHP160 billion ($2.86 billion) collected in excise taxes in 2022, according to the NTA.
February 2, 2024
COP Urged to Implement Harm Reduction

From left to right: Lorenzo Mata, Nancy Loucas and Jay Jazul
Consumer advocacy group Quit for Good asked the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to consider the lives of more than a billion smokers when it convenes the 10th Conference of the Parties in Panama next week.
Lorenzo Mata Jr., president of Quit for Good, said the WHO should implement FCTC Article 1 (d) on harm reduction strategies to help smokers. The treaty defines tobacco control as “a range of supply, demand and harm reduction strategies.”
“Offering safer nicotine products to millions of adult smokers who want to reduce their exposure to toxic substances from smoke is common sense. This is what tobacco harm reduction (THR) is all about, which the WHO FCTC refuses to implement despite being part of the global treaty,” Mata said.
Representatives from countries that are signatories to the FCTC will meet in Panama for the 10th Conference of the Parties this year, after the meeting was canceled in November 2023, to tackle major topics such as how to treat “novel and emerging tobacco and nicotine products.”
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) said blocking the use of products that can help save smokers’ lives is against the mission of the FCTC—a global treaty endorsed by most countries.
“People who smoke should have the right to access less harmful alternatives to smoking, and the WHO FCTC should focus on helping them. We need a pragmatic campaign to reduce the harm caused by smoking, rather than a dogmatic, deceptive, ineffective campaign to compel abstinence,” CAPHRA executive coordinator Nancy Loucas said.
Loucas said the annual reviews of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, formerly Public Health England, have consistently shown that vaping carries a fraction of the risks of smoking. “Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence supporting vaping products as less harmful alternatives to smoking, the WHO has consistently disregarded the positive role that vaping can play in tobacco control,” she said.
“It is time for the WHO FCTC and its member states to listen to the voice of the people that they are supposed to fight for and not against—the over 1 billion smokers whose lives are in danger if they continue to smoke,” she said.
Loucas’ views were echoed by Jay Jazul, lead convener of the Harm Reduction Alliance of the Philippines (HARAP). “E-cigarettes do not threaten public health but provide smokers with an exit from smoking, which is the real problem,” he said. “The WHO’s failure to substantiate its claims against e-cigarettes and labeling these innovative products an emerging threat to public health is worrisome.”
“The nicotine was not the problem, it was the delivery system that was the problem. We’ve known that for 50 years,” said David Sweanor of the University of Ottawa at a recent conference in Korea.
“The best example of how products that don’t burn tobacco can benefit public health comes from Sweden, which has the lowest smoking prevalence among men in the European Union and consequently the lowest tobacco-related mortality,” said Lars M. Ramström, the principal investigator at the Institute for Tobacco Studies, which recently published a paper on the topic. Ramström served as a WHO expert and as secretary general of the 4^th World Conference on Smoking and Health.
“The meeting of the world’s health leaders in Panama, the COP10, represents a unique opportunity to take a fresh look at the most recent evidence with an open mind. After all, if Sweden had followed WHO’s advice from 20 years ago and banned snus, tobacco-related deaths in Sweden would have been much higher and the only unintended beneficiary profiting from such advice would be the cigarette industry,” said Ramström.
In the runup to COP10, industry representatives have raised concerns about the exclusion of stakeholders from the discussions.

January 30, 2024
Activists Criticize COP10 Tactics

Photo: Alexey Novikov
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) today issued a sharp critique of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) for its exclusion of consumer groups and harm reduction advocates from the 10th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10).
“CAPHRA argues that this exclusionary practice is in stark contrast to the successful, pragmatic approaches of countries like New Zealand, the Philippines and Malaysia, which have embraced vaping as a harm reduction tool,” said Nancy Loucas, a public health policy expert and passionate advocate for tobacco harm reduction and executive coordinator of CAPHRA.
The press release condemns the COP10 meetings for silencing the voices of those who advocate for harm reduction strategies, such as vaping, which have been shown to significantly reduce smoking prevalence in countries where they are available and regulated.
CAPHRA points out that the prohibitionist approach of countries like Australia, which recently banned vaping products, is not in the best interest of public health.
“CAPHRA calls on FCTC officials to open their minds to harm reduction and to consider the evidence from countries like New Zealand, where smoking rates have decreased due to the availability of regulated vaping products,” said Loucas.
The organization stresses the importance of including consumer groups in the decisionmaking process, as they provide essential insights into the needs of smokers and how alternative products can be used effectively.
January 25, 2024
New COP and MOP Dates Announced
Photo: JeromeMaurice
The World Health Organization has announced the dates for the resumed in-person sessions of the 10th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the third session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP3) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.
Following communication received from Panama, the host country of COP10 and MOP3, and in consultation with the Bureaus of the Conference of the Parties to the FCTC and of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol, the dates for the resumed in-person sessions of COP10 and MOP3 have now been set as follows:
Resumed COP10: Feb. 5-10, 2024
Resumed MOP3: Feb 12-15, 2024
November 28, 2023
‘Systemic Failures’ Blamed for COP Delay

Photo: Unitas Photography
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) blames “systemic failures” at the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) for the postponement of the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) that was due to take place last week in Panama.
“While the ‘official’ reason for the postponement of the conference was said to be security issues on the ground in Panama, it has come to light that the unfulfilled COP10 organization contract for which $5 million was allocated by the Panamanian Ministry of Health was terminated by the government at the end of October, finding itself without any service provider to ensure the event took place,” CAPHRA wrote in an e-mailed statement.
“The fact that the WHO FCTC knew in October that they did not have a venue or conference planning underway and waited until the week before the conference was due to begin before cancelling it shows contempt for member states and a blatant disregard and dismissal of the months spent creating and submitting position papers, requesting budget allocations from their governments and planning their attendance—including airfares, visas and hotel reservations,” the tobacco harm reduction group wrote.
“But then again, it seems a nonissue that $5 million disappeared, said the CAPHRA. Money that doctors in Panama said would be better spent on actual healthcare in the country—incubators, medicines and facilities.”
According to CAPHRA, the WHO FCTC’s actions not only threaten public health but also cause economic strain and foster next-generation addiction.
“The WHO FCTC is tone deaf to anything or anyone that questions the work they are mandated to do,” said CAPHRA Executive Coordinator Nancy Loucas. “This includes sabotaging health policies, negatively impacting the environment and using funds from Big Pharma and the Bloomberg Foundation, among others, to promote misleading narratives and undermine tobacco harm reduction efforts.”
November 27, 2023
Tobacco Control Efforts Have Slowed: Report

Photo: DenisNata
Implementation of tobacco control policy measures required by the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) decelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to new data acquired by the Global Tobacco Control Progress Hub.
The MPOWER tobacco control scorecard, which reports country-level implementation of key FCTC policy measures, reveals that two-thirds (68 percent) of 195 countries reported no improvement or a reduction in key policies to reduce tobacco use between 2020 and 2022, with one-third of countries (35 percent) reporting a decline. Only 32 percent of reporting countries reported an improvement.
The largest declines occurred in low-income countries and those located in the eastern Mediterranean and southeast Asia. However, the slowdown was observed around the globe.
“We are very concerned with the deceleration in the adoption of high-impact tobacco control policies,” said Joanna Cohen of the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in a statement.
“This disruption is very troubling, especially following 12 years of steady progress in implementing these policies. We urge all countries to redouble efforts to reduce tobacco use to make up for lost ground. We cannot allow this setback to further impair global efforts to curb the tobacco epidemic. Progress delayed is improved health denied.”
The news comes prior to an abbreviated summit of the FCTC treaty scheduled for later this week in Geneva. The treaty’s 10^th Conference of the Parties (COP10) is being convened virtually on Nov. 23 and Nov. 24, to be followed by a full session in early 2024.
“This slowdown is a wake-up call and we urge all countries to adopt strong measures to get tobacco control back on track and reignite global efforts to reduce tobacco use,” said Les Hagen of ASH Canada.
“The enactment of high-impact tobacco control policies was delayed during the Covid-19 pandemic, and we cannot allow the tobacco industry to take further advantage of the situation. This disturbing slowdown could have dire consequences for millions of people worldwide, especially if it is sustained. We urge all FCTC Parties to throttle up efforts to reduce tobacco use and bend the curve back to its previous trajectory.”
Introduced in 2003 by the WHO, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is the world’s only public health treaty. The treaty is credited with preventing millions of deaths resulting from tobacco use. Tobacco kills over eight million people annually worldwide, representing one of the leading causes of death and disease.
The Global Tobacco Control Progress Hub is an independent public health treaty surveillance platform and it is a collaboration of ASH Canada and the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
November 22, 2023
Malawi Now a Full Party to FCTC

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
Malawi is now a full party to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The government ratified the FCTC in August 2023, and the treaty took effect Nov. 16.
“WHO congratulates Malawi for this historic step and reaffirms its strong commitment to collaborating closely with the government to achieve the shared goals of the WHO FCTC,” said Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, WHO representative in Malawi, in a statement. “Together, we will continue our collective efforts to protect public health and work towards a tobacco-free future.”
The WHO said it is ready to provide extensive support to ensure Malawi’s successful implementation of the convention and welcomes the nomination of a government liaison to work closely with the FCTC Secretariat.
The FCTC, which entered into force in February 2005, provides an internationally coordinated response to combating the health impact of tobacco, setting out specific steps for governments addressing tobacco use and production.
The treaty also promotes crop replacement and diversification.
Malawi is one of the world’s tobacco-dependent economies. Depending on the season, tobacco accounts for between 40 and 70 percent of the country’s export earnings.
In a special report earlier this year, Tobacco Reporter examined industry efforts to help Malawi strengthen its economy by developing supplemental value chains, such as groundnuts, bananas and mushrooms.
November 20, 2023
COP10 Postponed

Photo: Maksym Yemelyanov
The Tenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the Third session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP3) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products have been postponed to 2024.
“Following communication received from Panama, the host country of the Tenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the Third session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, it is no longer possible to conduct COP10 and MOP3 in November 2023, as scheduled,” the FCTC wrote on its website.
The sessions are expected to be held in Panama, as early as possible in 2024, at dates to be confirmed.
The postponement of COP10 and MOP3 is due to the current security situation in Panama, which has been shaken by mass protests about a government contract that allows a Canadian company to expand its copper mining operations there.
The Convention Secretariat said it will communicate further details in relation to COP10 and MOP3, as soon as available.
November 9, 2023