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Megan Manning
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Nations Advance International Well being at WHO Tobacco Treaty Negotiations
Selections on Legal responsibility, Setting and Ahead-Trying Measures Blaze a Path in the direction of Endgame
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – NOVEMBER 22, 2025 – Motion on Smoking and Well being (ASH) led an esteemed delegation to the 11th Convention of the Events (COP11) for the World Well being Group Framework Conference on Tobacco Management (FCTC) in Geneva, Switzerland from November 17 – 22, 2025.
COP11 marked a pivotal second for international well being, with Events adopting choices that can information tobacco management efforts for years to come back. These choices handle important points together with environmental protections, forward-looking tobacco endgame methods, and the legal responsibility of the tobacco trade for the harms it causes. Collectively, these measures signify significant progress towards safeguarding public well being, decreasing tobacco manufacturing and consumption, and holding the tobacco trade accountable.
ASH welcomes a number of groundbreaking choices that can kick begin international progress to speed up the tip of the tobacco epidemic:
• Article 2.1 on Ahead Trying Measures (Tobacco Endgame) Choice: represents an vital shift within the strategy to tobacco coverage, with a higher emphasis on provide discount or elimination.
• Article 18 (Setting) Choice: Will help international locations of their efforts to stop and handle the substantial environmental hurt brought on by tobacco and nicotine.
• Article 19 (Legal responsibility) Choice: calls on Events to think about civil, prison, administrative, environmental, human rights, and different authorized actions in opposition to the tobacco trade.
• Mobilization by Events of Sustainable Sources for Tobacco Management: helps international locations of their efforts to safe ample sustainable sources to implement lifesaving tobacco management measures
“COP11 has moved the world one other step nearer to ending the tobacco epidemic,” mentioned Laurent Huber, Govt Director of Motion on Smoking and Well being (ASH). “We noticed actual progress made at COP11, and now it’s as much as all of us—governments, civil society, and public well being advocates—to place these new international requirements into motion. Implementation is the place lives are saved, and COP11 has given us the instruments to do precisely that.”
The COP11 head of the ASH delegation Laurent Huber, was joined by ASH Employees Chris Bostic, Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy, and Megan Manning, in addition to ASH Board Member Dr. Carolyn Dresler. ASH was additionally joined by Micah Berman, Denis Choinière, Marita Hefler, Kurt Ribisl, and Luciano Ruggia.
“Motion on Smoking and Well being’s participation on the COP continues to impress. They’re a part of the worldwide motion and but, drive ahead many points. The experience in every particular person inside this small group of individuals is simply un-matched. I couldn’t be prouder to be with them and watch them in motion,” mentioned Carolyn Dresler, MD, MPA, Board Member, Motion on Smoking and Well being.
“The WHO FCTC formally recognises that participation of civil society is important to tobacco management. Being a part of the ASH delegation gives a entrance row seat to what this appears to be like like in apply,” mentioned Marita Hefler, Professor of Public Well being, Flinders College. “Seeing progress on Article 2.1 is especially heartening, and ASH performed a important function in placing this on the COP11 agenda. The Professional Group report on Ahead Trying Measures will present vital steering to Events to advance implementation of the treaty.”
“Attending the FCTC COP, I’ve been in a position to see how ASH’s experience and connections are deeply valued by worldwide tobacco coverage specialists and by delegations from all over the world,” mentioned Micah Berman, JD, Professor of Public Well being and Regulation at Ohio State College. “Amongst different accomplishments, ASH performed a key function in bringing consideration to Article 19 of the FCTC, referring to tobacco trade legal responsibility, which has been one of many least applied provisions of the settlement. I appreciated the chance to affix the ASH delegation and discovered an incredible quantity that can strengthen my analysis on international public well being regulation.”
“It was an eye-opening expertise to see ASH working behind the scenes to assist Events of their deliberations on points they’d recognized as priorities. Due to ASH for giving me this chance,” mentioned Denis Choinière.
“Thanks for inviting me to affix the ASH delegation to COP11 and observe first-hand how your group works behind the scenes to globally advance evidence-based tobacco management,” mentioned Professor Kurt M. Ribisl, Chair, Division of Well being Conduct at UNC Gillings Faculty of International Public Well being. “I used to be particularly happy that retail tobacco management insurance policies will play a central function when the Events begin implementing their Ahead Trying Measures or endgame methods.”
“The coordination work supplied by ASH for COP11 was really spectacular, and its engagement was essential to the progress achieved all through the week,” mentioned Luciano Ruggia, Director of the Swiss Affiliation for Tobacco Management. “It’s notably ironic that COP11 came about in Geneva, Switzerland — a rustic that also has not ratified the FCTC greater than 20 years after its adoption and the place a number of main tobacco corporations have established themselves to profit from decrease taxes. From Switzerland, the tobacco trade continues to unfold its ‘hurt discount’ propaganda internationally to pursue its solely actual goal: revenue, revenue, and extra revenue. This makes the work and management of ASH right here in Geneva extra vital and mandatory than ever.”
The FCTC COP is the place international tobacco coverage is written and monitored and the place consensus is achieved on the right way to sort out the tobacco trade and advance well being. Selections adopted at earlier COPs are what normalized smoke-free insurance policies all over the world, the banning of tobacco promoting, the introduction of plain packaging of tobacco merchandise, and even the necessity to defend public well being insurance policies from tobacco trade interference.
ASH applauds all COP11 delegates who remained devoted and dedicated to public well being throughout the negotiations. ASH stays dedicated to supporting Events in implementing the FCTC and can proceed working alongside international companions to advocate for robust, equitable, and sustainable tobacco management measures.
ASH appears to be like ahead to serving to make sure that the outcomes of COP11 translate into concrete motion on the bottom.
ACTION ON SMOKING AND HEALTH
Based in 1967, Motion on Smoking and Well being (ASH) is America’s oldest anti-tobacco group, devoted to a world with ZERO tobacco deaths. As a result of tobacco is the main explanation for preventable demise worldwide, ASH helps daring options proportionate to the magnitude of the issue. ash.org
