Big Tobacco’s Sneaky UN Sabotage
MOP4 Under Siege by Smoke Giants
Geneva: The tobacco industry has ramped up its efforts to interfere with the upcoming negotiations of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), prompting a stern warning from the treaty’s Secretariat on October 22, 2025, in Geneva. As the Eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) approaches from November 17 to 22 in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Fourth session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP4) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products follows from November 24 to 26 at WHO headquarters in the same city, the industry is deploying a range of sophisticated tactics to weaken global tobacco control measures.
The WHO FCTC, recognised as the first treaty ever negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization and one of the most widely and rapidly embraced United Nations treaties in history, has garnered 183 Parties since entering into force 20 years ago. This landmark convention represents more than 90 per cent of the world’s population committed to collective action against the tobacco epidemic, focusing on objectives such as preventing nicotine addiction, safeguarding human health from the harms of tobacco use, and protecting the environment from tobacco-related pollution and degradation.
The COP11 gathering will convene these 183 Parties to review the convention’s implementation and adopt essential decisions to advance its goals. Discussions will encompass a broad spectrum of measures, including strategies to curb the rise of nicotine addiction through regulation of emerging products, initiatives to mitigate environmental damage caused by tobacco production and waste, and policies to strengthen overall human health protections against secondhand smoke, marketing influences, and other risks. Following closely, MOP4 will bring together the 71 Parties to the Protocol, which came into force in 2018, to serve as its governing body. This session will deliberate on various measures to define the Protocol’s future direction and enhance its effectiveness in eradicating illicit trade in tobacco products, a persistent challenge that undermines tax revenues, fuels organised crime, and makes tobacco more accessible and affordable, particularly to vulnerable populations like youth.
Andrew Black, serving as Acting Head of the WHO FCTC Secretariat, highlighted the gravity of the industry’s interference in a detailed statement. He explained that the tactics employed by tobacco companies range from traditional lobbying efforts to more insidious attempts to manipulate national delegations directly involved in the negotiations. “With strategies varying from lobbying to outright attempts to manipulate delegations, the tobacco industry’s tactics are a cause for serious concern,” Black stated. He further elaborated that these actions constitute not merely standard advocacy but a calculated and deliberate strategy aimed at fracturing consensus among Parties and diluting the strength of proposed measures to fully implement the treaty.
Black identified tobacco industry interference as one of the most significant constraints and barriers hindering the convention’s progress worldwide. To counter this, the Secretariat issued a strong call for heightened vigilance among Parties, civil society organisations, and all stakeholders dedicated to tobacco control. Governments, he reminded, bear clear obligations under Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC, which explicitly requires the protection of public health policies from the commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry, ensuring that decision-making remains independent and focused on health outcomes.
Evidence compiled by independent civil society actors, many of whom hold observer status at the Conference of the Parties, paints a comprehensive picture of the industry’s multifaceted interference campaign. One prominent tactic involves political capture, where tobacco companies seek to install sympathetic individuals within national delegations or exert influence over the selection process to tilt negotiations in their favour. Another approach relies on front groups and so-called independent voices, with industry-funded organisations masquerading as legitimate trade associations, scientific bodies, or consumer advocacy groups to lobby delegations under the guise of neutrality. The industry also engages in co-opting science by sponsoring or promoting research that is designed to be misleading, creating doubt around well-established evidence on the effectiveness of tobacco control measures such as graphic health warnings, advertising bans, and tax increases. Economic narratives form a key pillar of their strategy, as companies pressure finance and trade ministries with exaggerated or false claims about potential job losses in tobacco farming and manufacturing, declines in tax revenues from legal sales, or broader economic impacts if strict regulations are adopted. Additionally, there are attempts at access infiltration, where industry representatives or affiliates try to secure observer status at COP events or participate in related side meetings to directly influence discussions and outcomes.
These documented tactics align closely with patterns revealed in the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index, a comprehensive tool that monitors and reports on tobacco industry interference activities across the globe, providing Parties with valuable data to identify and counteract such manoeuvres.
In response to these threats, the WHO FCTC Secretariat outlined a series of specific recommendations for all Parties to safeguard the integrity of COP11 and MOP4. Parties must fully implement Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC along with its detailed Guidelines for implementation, extending protections against industry influence to every branch of government, not just health ministries. This includes safeguarding the COP and MOP processes from commercial and vested interests, in accordance with Objective 3.1.3 of the Global Strategy to Accelerate Tobacco Control: Advancing sustainable development through the implementation of the WHO FCTC 2019-2030, particularly during the preparation and composition of country delegations.
Furthermore, delegations to both COP11 and MOP4 should exclude any persons affiliated with the tobacco industry or its interests to prevent internal conflicts. Parties are advised to reject any form of funding, partnerships, or support linked to the industry, whether for COP and MOP activities, national delegation travel, or related events. Non-health ministries, such as those handling finance, trade, agriculture, and justice, need targeted education on industry tactics and their obligations under Article 5.3 to build a unified government front. Finally, Parties should leverage available monitoring tools, including the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index, to proactively detect and document interference attempts, enabling timely responses and transparency.
The Conference of the Parties functions as the governing body of the WHO FCTC, comprising all 183 Parties and responsible for regular reviews of the convention’s implementation while adopting decisions to promote its effective application. With representation from over 90 per cent of the global population, these Parties collaborate to bolster tobacco control efforts worldwide. COP11 will address an extensive agenda to shape the convention’s future and its pivotal role in combating the global tobacco epidemic, which continues to claim millions of lives annually through preventable diseases.
Similarly, the Meeting of the Parties acts as the governing body for the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, an international treaty that entered into force in 2018 and now counts 71 Parties. Through a coordinated set of measures implemented in cooperation among countries, the Protocol seeks to eradicate illicit trade, which not only evades taxes but also circumvents age restrictions and health regulations. At MOP4, Parties will explore a wide array of measures to evolve the Protocol and amplify its impact in dismantling underground tobacco markets.
As these pivotal sessions loom, the Secretariat’s alert serves as a critical reminder of the ongoing battle between public health imperatives and powerful commercial interests. The tobacco industry’s persistent interference underscores the need for unwavering commitment to the WHO FCTC’s principles, ensuring that decisions at COP11 and MOP4 advance robust, evidence-based policies free from undue influence. With the convention marking two decades of progress in reducing tobacco use and its devastating consequences, maintaining vigilance against these tactics is essential to sustain momentum and protect future generations from the harms of tobacco.
– global bihari bureau
