The eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control concluded in Geneva after six days, with about 1,600 participants representing 160 Parties. Delegates delivered a series of major decisions intended to strengthen global tobacco control, with particular attention to environmental protections, sustainable funding for tobacco control programs, and regulatory responses to emerging nicotine products.

A key outcome urged Parties to consider stricter regulation of tobacco and nicotine product components—specifically cigarette filters, electronic devices, and other materials that contribute to environmental pollution. COP11 also reaffirmed that domestic resource mobilization is essential for sustainable tobacco control and advanced work under Article 19 of the treaty by encouraging countries to strengthen civil and criminal liability mechanisms addressing the “harms caused by the tobacco industry.” Delegates also examined novel approaches permitted under Article 2.1, indicating a readiness among Parties to adopt measures beyond the treaty’s minimum requirements.

The conference adopted a decision calling for a total ban on the use and sale of all tobacco products and emerging nicotine products—including heated tobacco, e-cigarettes, disposable vapes, and nicotine pouches—on all United Nations premises worldwide. Discussions further highlighted the growing importance of Article 5.3, which protects policymaking from tobacco industry interference amid concerns about marketing tactics for new nicotine products.

COP11 closed with the announcement that COP12 and the next Meeting of Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products will take place in Yerevan, Armenia, in 2027.

This article was adapted from an original report published on tobaccoreporter.com. All rights belong to the original publisher.