COP11 in Geneva: an opportunity to advance the fight against tobacco worldwide

More than 1,400 delegates Representatives of governments, international organizations, and civil society actors are expected in Geneva from November 17 to 22, 2025, to accelerate the implementation of the WHO treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The 11th^e The Conference of the Parties to this treaty must also address new provisions for a tobacco-free generation, and more specifically, combat the environmental disaster caused by tobacco products. While these negotiation sessions are highly anticipated to guide the roadmap for global tobacco control, the industry is trying by all means to thwart the decisions under discussion in order to slow any progress and promote its own interests.

The FCTC, a comprehensive treaty to combat smoking

The UNFCCC is a legally binding international treaty. It has been ratified by 183 countries and regional organizations and now covers 90% of the world's population. The UNFCCC measures are based on scientific evidence, demonstrating their effectiveness.

The treaty addresses health issues as well as environmental concerns and the responsibility of industry for the disasters caused by its products. It includes general obligations, among them the obligation to protect public policies from any interference by this industry (Article 5.3 of the UNFCCC), as the industry's interests have been deemed to be opposed to and irreconcilable with those of health policies.

The implementation of this treaty has resulted in significant concrete progress, with a decrease of approximately 118 million smokers compared to 2005, the year the treaty entered into force. MPOWER program (Monitoring, Protecting, Offering, Warning, Enforcing, Raising), which relates to certain provisions of the treaty - tax increases, smoking and advertising bans, the posting of health warnings, and cessation aids with epidemic monitoring - would alone have saved more than 37 million lives[1].

The UNFCCC, which has become the most ratified international treaty in the world in record time, is thus celebrating its 20th anniversary and the 11th^e The session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to this treaty will address several future issues.

The implementation of the treaty requires that countries meet in general assembly every two years and decide on the measures to be implemented to fully apply this convention and adapt to the new context.

According to Andrew Black, acting head of the CCFTA Secretariat, these bodies allow Parties to assess and strengthen the implementation of the treaty, with the aim of supporting international cooperation and consolidating political will in the face of an epidemic that causes more than 7 million premature and avoidable deaths each year.

The CNCT, considering the topics under discussion at this session to be essential, called on the European Union to speak with one voice at this meeting and to assume its hitherto historic role as a world leader in the fight against tobacco.[2].

At COP11, the environment, holding industries accountable, and combating their lobbying are on the agenda.

Following the inauguration and progress report phase, during which various political figures will speak, such as the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Social Affairs, Frank Vandenbroucke, the Minister of Public Health of Uruguay, Dr. Cristina Lustemberg, as well as the Director-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission, Sandra Gallina, various crucial topics will be debated during this week.

The discussions will focus on ambitious forward-looking measures (Article 2.1 of the FCTC) but also on the methods to be adopted in order to better challenge the legal responsibility of the tobacco industry (Article 19 of the FCTC), how to protect public policies from this very powerful and multifaceted lobby (Article 5.3 of the FCTC), as well as the adoption of decisive environmental measures, in particular the global ban on cigarette filters (Article 18 of the FCTC).

The aggressive marketing of multinational tobacco companies, leading to nicotine addiction among increasingly younger consumers through their new tobacco and nicotine products, will be addressed. More than 100 million people vape, including at least 15 million children aged 13 to 15, according to the WHO's first global estimate of e-cigarette use. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, reiterated that major tobacco companies are motivated solely by "« One thing only: profit »[3].

Benn McGrady, head of the WHO's Public Health Law and Policy Unit, stated that the new products have features that are particularly appealing to children, such as bright colors and fruity aromas.

Highlighting the alarming increase in e-cigarette use among children, he warned that the industry was promoting new products on social media, while the WHO wants total bans on tobacco advertising and sponsorship, including for e-cigarettes and flavored nicotine pouches.

The WHO highlights the intense lobbying efforts of the tobacco and nicotine industry to promote its new nicotine products, such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, using a narrative centered on "harm reduction." The CNCT (National Committee Against Tobacco) points out that this discourse has been appropriated and exploited by the industry to weaken regulations and maintain nicotine addiction, in the face of declining traditional smoking, under the guise of technological innovation.

Furthermore, the environmental impact of tobacco and nicotine consumption will also be one of the topics under discussion. The decisions relate to supply-side action, and in particular the ban on cellulose acetate filters. Approximately 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are discarded in nature each year, releasing toxic chemicals into the environment and breaking down into microplastics that pollute waterways. These filters, Andrew Black points out, are ineffective against the toxicity of cigarettes: they reinforce the illusion of reduced harm, facilitate initiation into smoking, alter inhalation habits, and have no scientific basis.

The decisions will also address the issue of industry liability, including the application of the "polluter pays" principle. The aim is to make tobacco manufacturers bear the burden of damages, particularly environmental damage, while excluding any compensation in terms of image, influence, or organizational involvement on their part.

Finally, there is the issue of combating the lobbying campaign orchestrated by the industry, which seeks to slow progress on tobacco control and advance its commercial interests. Ahead of this meeting last October, the FCTC Secretariat issued a warning to Parties preparing to travel to Geneva for COP11, urging them to remain vigilant against industry tactics and disinformation.[4]. The WHO warns that industry interference is considered the main obstacle to the implementation of the Convention: according to The Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index (GII) 2025 indicates that the industry is adopting increasingly aggressive tactics..

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[1]STOP, 20 Years In, We Need the WHO FCTC More Than Ever, Published on November 13, 2025, accessed on November 14, 2025

[2]National Committee against Smoking, COP11: The CNCT calls for a strong European position to protect public health and the environment, Published on November 17, 2025, accessed the same day

[3]Sud Ouest.fr, Tobacco: Towards a global ban on cigarette butts to stop their pollution?, Published on November 14, 2025, accessed the same day

[4]Mary Assunta, Public Health Besieged by Industry Interference, Global Issues, published November 13, 2025, accessed November 14, 2025

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