Representatives from 160 countries adopted sweeping environmental protections and industry accountability measures on Saturday, November 22, 2025, as the world’s leading tobacco control treaty concluded its 11th biennial conference.
The six-day Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) addressed the trillions of plastic-filtered cigarette butts and electronic device waste polluting ecosystems annually, along with advancing legal frameworks for tobacco industry liability.
“These important decisions made by Parties to the Convention will contribute towards saving millions of lives in the years to come and protecting the planet from the environmental harms of tobacco,” said Andrew Black, acting head of the WHO FCTC Secretariat.
Delegates adopted a decision inviting member states to consider comprehensive regulations on tobacco product components that increase environmental harm while accounting for public health impacts.
The conference advanced implementation of Article 19, which addresses criminal and civil liability for tobacco-related damages.
The decision calls for strengthened enforcement through increased cooperation between member states while reaffirming that liability issues remain integral to comprehensive tobacco control.
Member states reaffirmed that domestic funding serves as the core strategy for achieving sustainable support for national tobacco control programs.
Delegates adopted a complete ban on tobacco products, heated tobacco and emerging nicotine products including electronic devices and nicotine pouches throughout all United Nations facilities worldwide.
The conference emphasised protecting tobacco control policies from industry interference, particularly regarding unproven health claims for new products.
More than 1,600 delegates registered for the conference, including government representatives, non-governmental organisations and youth observers.
The next conference will convene in Yerevan, Armenia, in 2027.
The Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products begins on Monday, November 24, 2025, in Geneva.
The WHO FCTC treaty has 183 member states covering 90% of the global population.