Geneva, Switzerland – February 26, 2025 (WHO) – The WHO frame convention on tobacco control (Who fctc), One of the most accepted UN treaties in history, celebrates the 20th anniversary of its entry into force this week.
The WHO FCTC is the first public health treaty negotiated under the auspices of the WHO with 183 matches to the Convention, including 30 parts in the Americas, which cover 90% of the world’s population. The treaty provides a legal framework and an integral package of evidence based on evidence based on international law that has saved millions of lives, including large pictorial health warnings on cigarette packages, smoke -free laws and higher taxes on taxes on Tobacco products, among many others.
«Tobacco is a plague about humanity, the main cause of death and preventable diseases worldwide,» said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, general director. “In the last two decades, since the entry into force of the WHO FCTC and the Mpower Technical Package that supports it, the global prevalence of tobacco use has been reduced by one third. WHO FCTC has helped save millions of lives through strengthened tobacco control measures worldwide. The Convention marks a milestone in Public Health and International Law. We continue asking countries to strengthen and implement their measures even more, and for countries that have not yet ratified that WHO’s FCTC does it. ”
Since its implementation 20 years ago, up to 5.6 billion people are now covered by at least one tobacco control policy with the treaty and studies have demonstrated a decrease in global smoking rates.
A total of 138 countries require large pictorial health warnings in cigarette packages as a result of the convention and dozens of countries have implemented simple packaging rules in cigarette packages that require a standard shape and appearance without brand, design or a logo In cigarette packages. Both measures serve as powerful tools to reduce tobacco consumption and warn users about the dangers of tobacco use.
More than a quarter of the world’s population is now covered by smoke -free policies that require prohibitions in interior and work spaces, saving millions of lives from the dangers of second -hand smoke.
More than 66 countries have implemented prohibitions of advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco (TAPS), which include tobacco advertising prohibitions in the media and sponsorship agreements, while it is crucial that more countries do the same.
WHO FCTC has also been essential to establish legal defenses against an aggressive tobacco industry that spends tens of billions of dollars to promote their products and actively undermine efforts on tobacco control, including the implementation of FCTC itself.
In the Americas, the use of tobacco remains a great public health problem, with a million deaths annually attributed to smoking. Despite a significant decrease in consumption since 2000, 133 million adults and 5 million adolescents continue to use tobacco. However, the region has made notable advances in tobacco control, including the establishment of smoke -free environments and the implementation of mandatory health warnings on tobacco packaging. From now on, 24 and 21 countries have adopted these measures at the best levels of practices, respectively. However, the challenges persist, particularly in the areas of Tobacco Taxes, the total prohibition of advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and access to cessation services, where progress has been unequal.
Dr. Adriana Blanco Marquizo, head of the Oms FCTC Secretariat, said: “The tobacco industry is a mortal industry behind the tobacco epidemic, now trying to position itself as part of the solution while actively derails the efforts in the tobacco control. lives. The WHO FCTC equips the holidays with a comprehensive set of measures to protect populations from constantly evolving tactics of the industry, designed to obtain profits at the expense of people’s life and the health of our planet and we do that the parties remain vigilant against their predatory tactics. «
The tobacco load
Tobacco consumption is an important driver of non -communicable diseases (NCDS), which causes premature death and disability. Tobacco -related diseases lead to catastrophic health expenses, particularly for the poor, catching families in a cycle of poverty. It is more likely that smokers are insecure food than non -smokers, even in richer countries. In addition, tobacco cultivation eats large stripes of land that could otherwise support sustainable food production systems.
Tobacco production further exhausts vital resources such as earth and water, diverting them from sustainable food production. In addition, billions of discarded plastic butts contaminate ecosystems every year, damaging the planet even more.
The tobacco industry continues to undermine public health efforts, aggressively attacking young people through marketing, lobbying against tobacco control policies and positioning itself as part of the solution to the problem it created.
Dr. Blanco Marquizo added: “While there have been these great advances in tobacco control, there is a long way to go. The tobacco industry continues to kill millions of people per year and their socio -economic charges cause tensions in entire populations.
“We call countries to completely implement the FCTC measures of the WHO, even by increasing tobacco taxes, implementing smoke -free laws, enforcing comprehensive advertising and sponsorship prohibitions and by prohibiting and regulating ingredients that form products of tobacco and act to address the challenges brought. for new and emerging products of tobacco and nicotine. Through these measures, we can save the lives of millions more people around the world. We call on countries to redouble their efforts and ensure that tobacco control remains a priority of health and public development.
Dr. Reina Roa, president of the Conference of Parties (COP), the GENS FCTC governing body, added: “WHO FCTC represents one of the greatest achievements in the history of public health. I have witnessed its impact since its inception, and as president of your police. I still see how this treaty provides countries with the necessary tools to protect their populations from the devastating tobacco epidemic. We celebrate 20 years of progress, commitment and saved lives thanks to the WHO frame convention on tobacco control. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO WHO FCTC.
In October of last year, the high -level health authorities of the Americas approved a new Pah The young.
