WHO FCTC Announces Opening of COP10

The 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) was officially announced on the organization's website on February 5th.

The 183 signatories of this convention, representing over 90% of the global population, are collectively working to strengthen and promote tobacco control. Despite the ongoing global population growth in the first two decades of this century, the smoking rate among adults has dropped from nearly 33% to 22%.

Dr. Adriana Blanco Marquizo, Director of the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, welcomed the participants and raised concerns about the growing prevalence of emerging nicotine and tobacco products.

She pointed out that these products "have become a concerning issue, with young people rapidly increasing their usage. One of the reasons is the tobacco industry's misleading information, portraying these products as substitutes for real tobacco control measures. The tobacco industry is once again trying to gain a foothold in addressing the epidemic problem it created and continues to perpetuate.

She further urged everyone to be vigilant about the relentless interference of the tobacco industry worldwide, highlighting that "the tobacco industry is attempting to undermine not just COP10, but the efforts of every Conference of the Parties.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the decision-making body of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, comprising of all the treaty's signatories. It regularly reviews the implementation of the convention and makes necessary decisions to promote its effective implementation.

The conference will consider a range of actions to guide future work on addressing the global tobacco epidemic, which annually claims the lives of 8.7 million people worldwide, in line with the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

The discussion topics at COP10 include:

• Implementation of Articles 9 and 10 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (Regulation of Tobacco Product Ingredients and Disclosure): Report Presented by the Bureau, Expert Group, and WHO  
• Tobacco Advertising, Promotion, and Sponsorship: Depictions of Tobacco in Entertainment Media: Report Presented by the Working Group  
• NTPs and Emerging Tobacco Products  
• Future Tobacco Control Measures (Related to Article 2.1 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control)  
• Implementation of Article 19 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: Responsibilities  
• Improving the Reporting System of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control  
• Implementation Review Mechanism  
• Contribution of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to the Promotion and Realization of Human Rights  
• WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Investment Fund

Furthermore, discussions on the tobacco control investment fund and the upcoming COP10, scheduled to run from today until Saturday, February 10th, are expected. Following that, the Third Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (MOP3) is set to take place from Monday, February 12th, to Thursday, February 15th, 2024.