Reina Roa, President of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO FCTC, speaking at the COP.
Samuel Mbewe - The Eleventh Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) concluded in Geneva on Saturday with renewed calls for stronger action against the environmental and health impacts of tobacco. But delegates failed to reach consensus on several high-profile proposals amid what observers described as unprecedented levels of industry interference and political division.
Despite growing scientific evidence and mounting pressure from civil society, COP11 did not advance a proposed global ban on plastic cigarette filters, which remain one of the most widespread forms of pollution on beaches and waterways. A parallel proposal calling for stricter disclosure of tobacco product contents also stalled, leading delegates to establish an informal consultation group—rather than a more authoritative working group—to continue discussions under WHO guidance.
Running from 17–22 November, the six-day conference nevertheless adopted several decisions recognising the extensive environmental damage caused by the full tobacco supply chain—from farming and manufacturing to consumption and waste, including discarded e-cigarette components.
COP delegates called on member states to strengthen regulatory frameworks targeting environmentally harmful tobacco products and to consider mechanisms for holding the tobacco industry legally liable for both health and environmental harms.
Reina Roa, President of COP11, emphasised during plenary that the scientific evidence of tobacco’s environmental footprint is “absolutely undeniable.”
Parties also endorsed increasing domestic funding for national tobacco control programmes and exploring forward-looking measures, including youth-focused generational bans on cigarettes. Another decision urged parties to consider tougher legislation on criminal and civil liability related to tobacco control.
At a closing press conference, Andrew Black, Acting Head of the FCTC Secretariat, said the decisions adopted “will contribute towards saving millions of lives… and protecting the planet from the environmental harms of tobacco,” reaffirming the FCTC as one of the most widely adopted UN treaties, with more than 160 parties represented and over 1,600 registered participants at COP11.
Public health researchers and civil society leaders welcomed environmental and liability-related decisions as incremental but meaningful steps toward greater industry accountability.
“The tobacco control community is pushing to transition from responsibility to liability,” said Filippos Filippidis, Chair of the Tobacco Control Committee at the European Respiratory Society and Associate Professor at Imperial College London. He argued that current approaches—such as extended producer responsibility—allow the industry to “greenwash their activities with minor initiatives.”
COP11 also approved a decision advocating for a complete ban on the use and sale of all tobacco products, including heated tobacco products and emerging nicotine devices such as e-cigarettes, across all UN indoor and outdoor premises worldwide.
Additionally, delegates reaffirmed that domestic resource mobilisation is essential for stable tobacco control funding and encouraged parties to adopt effective tax policies. WHO recommends tobacco taxes that make up at least 75% of the retail price of tobacco products.
For many public health advocates, the conference underscored a familiar challenge: powerful industry influence.
“We know very well what works and what doesn’t,” Filippidis said. “The problem is that because of interference and the big money that is involved, some countries remain reluctant to apply some of these policies.”
The next round of negotiations will test whether governments can overcome these pressures to deliver stronger global protections against tobacco-related harm.
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