| No images? Click here ![]() Wednesday, 22 October 2025 NEWS RELEASE Tobacco industry targets WHO FCTC COP and MOP negotiations, Parties urged to stay vigilant Geneva, 22 October -- The Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is alerting governments and the public that the tobacco industry is intensifying efforts to interfere with the work of the Conference of the Parties (COP), the treaty’s decision-making body, to weaken global tobacco control measures. The WHO FCTC is the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of WHO and one of the most widely and rapidly embraced United Nations treaties in history. A total of 183 Parties have joined the Convention, which entered into force 20 years ago. The Eleventh session of the COP, which will be held from 17-22 November in Geneva, Switzerland, will bring together Parties to the Convention to take the decisions necessary to work towards achieving the objectives of the WHO FCTC, including the discussion of measures to prevent nicotine addiction, and for the protection of the environment and human health, among others. The Meeting of the Parties (MOP), which will take place in Geneva, Switzerland from 24-26 November, serves as the governing body of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products—an international treaty that entered into force in 2018 and has 71 Parties. At the MOP, Parties will consider a range of measures aimed at shaping the future of the Protocol and its role in eliminating illicit trade in tobacco products. “With strategies varying from lobbying to outright attempts to manipulate delegations, the tobacco industry’s tactics are a cause for serious concern,” said Andrew Black, Acting Head of the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC. Evidence from independent civil society actors, including those that are observers to the Conference of the Parties, shows the industry’s interference includes:
These tactics mirror those documented in the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index, which reports on tobacco industry interference globally. The WHO FCTC Secretariat urges all Parties to:
Notes to editors The Convention’s 183 Parties—representing more than 90% of the world’s population—work collectively to strengthen and advance tobacco control efforts. At the Eleventh session of the COP (COP11) which will take place in Geneva, Switzerland from 17-22 November, Parties will consider a wide range of measures shaping the future of the WHO FCTC and its role in combating the global tobacco epidemic. **************** The Fourth session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP4), being held at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland from 24-26 November, serves as the governing body of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products—an international treaty that entered into force in 2018. The Protocol, which comprises 71 Parties, aims to eradicate illicit trade in tobacco products through a coordinated set of measures implemented by countries in cooperation with one another. At MOP4, Parties will consider a range of measures aimed at shaping the future of the Protocol and its role in combatting illicit trade in tobacco products. Registration Please note that UN accredited journalists do not require to be accredited for the COP11 and MOP4. UN accredited journalists who wish to attend the COP and MOP in person are kindly encouraged to notify the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC regarding their attendance to mediafctc@who.int. Please note that non-UN accredited correspondents wishing to cover COP11 and/or MOP4 need to be accredited. In line with current United Nations policies for media accreditation to the World Health Assembly, and in accordance with COP and MOP decisions FCTC/COP8(12) and FCTC/MOP1(15). · Registration for MOP4 STOP’s Tobacco Industry Allies database Media contacts: mediafctc@who.int
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