Public health and consumer advocates are pressing the World Health Organization (WHO) to overhaul its tobacco control strategy, saying that more than two decades of policies have done little to reduce global smoking rates or tobacco-related deaths.
At the 2025 Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN) in Poland, panelists argued that the WHO’s prohibition-driven approach is out of step with science-based harm reduction measures that could help over a billion smokers quit or switch to safer alternatives such as heated tobacco, e-cigarettes, and nicotine pouches.
A session titled “Reflections on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control at 20” brought together experts in public health, oncology, and consumer advocacy to assess the WHO’s flagship treaty after two decades of implementation.
Speakers urged a shift in global tobacco policy toward science, equity, and human rights—emphasizing harm reduction, consumer choice, and respect for the lived experiences of smokers. They called for moving beyond blanket bans toward pragmatic, evidence-based measures that promote innovation and preserve dignity.
Panelists included Professor Tikki Pangestu, former Director of Research Policy & Cooperation at the WHO and now Visiting Professor at the National University of Singapore; Asa Saligupta, director of ENDS Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST); Dr. Derek Yach, former WHO executive who helped craft the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC); Professor David Khayat, French oncologist and co-author of the Paris Charter Against Cancer; and Jeannine Cameron, founder of JCIC International Consultancy.
Pangestu noted the disproportionate sway the WHO holds over low- and middle-income countries. “The elephant in the room is the WHO,” he said. “As long as that position doesn’t change, many countries are going to continue with apathy.”
Saligupta criticized the influence of Bloomberg Philanthropies and NGOs that back restrictive WHO-aligned policies. “They use ideology over evidence, they’re ignoring science and pushing prohibition,” he said, warning that bans and misinformation prevent access to safer alternatives in countries like Thailand, where vaping remains prohibited.
In the Philippines, Dr. Lorenzo Mata Jr., president of advocacy group Quit for Good, echoed the call for reform. “The WHO has fallen short of its target and failed to help more than a billion smokers globally,” Mata said.
“Because of its prohibitionist ideology, the WHO has only alienated smokers and nicotine consumers, demonizing them for their habits. It is time for the WHO to adopt a more compassionate approach and acknowledge the rights of consumers to choose what is best for them,” he added.
Looking back on the FCTC, Yach acknowledged its historic importance but lamented weak implementation and opposition to harm reduction. Khayat urged a more compassionate, education-driven model of public health, dismissing the “quit or die” approach as unrealistic.
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