COP11: Global Experts Unite to Challenge Big Tobacco’s Influence
ABM Zubair :
Over the past two decades, the number of adults who use tobacco has fallen sharply across the globe.
The World Health Organization’s Global Report on Trends in Prevalence of Tobacco Use 2000–2030 shows that in 2000, roughly one in three adults age 15 and older—about 32.7 percent—used tobacco. By 2022, that share had dropped to one in five adults, or 20.9 percent.
In total, global tobacco use has declined by 36 percent during this period. Bangladesh, the world’s eighth-most populous nation, has followed a similar trajectory.
According to the latest Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), tobacco use among Bangladeshi adults dropped by 18.5 percent between 2009 and 2017.
Public health experts attribute much of this progress to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), an international treaty adopted in 2003, which guides countries in adopting stronger measures to reduce tobacco consumption.
The uniqueness of the FCTC lies in the fact that it provides governments across the globe with a comprehensive set of evidence-based policies and thus helped shift tobacco control from isolated national efforts to a coordinated international strategy.
In 2008, WHO introduced the MPOWER package which is often described as the ‘operational framework’ or ‘implementation toolkit’ to provide countries with a practical roadmap and converting broad FCTC obligations into clear, actionable steps.
Today, an estimated 6.1 billion people, more than three-quarters of the world’s population, is covered by at least one MPOWER intervention.
Despite these gains spurred by FCTC, the global death toll from tobacco use remains alarmingly high.
WHO estimates that tobacco causes more than 8 million deaths every year worldwide, underscoring the scale of the continuing public health crisis.
In Bangladesh alone, tobacco use claims roughly 161,000 lives annually, a burden that weighs heavily on a nation with limited health resources.
Alongside traditional tobacco products, a new generation of emerging tobacco products (ETPs), including e-cigarettes, vapes, and heated tobacco devices, has introduced fresh challenges to global tobacco control.
Marketed with sleek designs, attractive flavors, and aggressive promotional strategies, these products have been especially aimed at children and young adults, drawing them into early nicotine addiction. Their popularity among youth is rising at a troubling pace.
Beyond the risks posed by ETPs, interference from the tobacco industry remains a significant barrier to effective tobacco control efforts in Bangladesh.
The 2025 Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index placed the country at the bottom of the South Asian region with a score of 69, signaling a persistent failure to safeguard public policy from industry influence.
This ranking highlights Bangladesh’s limited progress in implementing Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC, which requires governments to protect health policies from tobacco industry tactics.
Recently, however, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) adopted new Article 5.3 guidelines for its officials and subordinate agencies—an important step forward. To ensure meaningful progress, similar protections must be extended across all ministries and government divisions.
As tobacco use continues to fall in high-income countries, multinational tobacco companies have redirected their attention—and their resources—toward low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). With large and youthful populations, these markets offer the industry its most promising prospects for growth.
This renewed push has effectively turned LMICs into the final battlegrounds for the future of tobacco, as companies aggressively promote new and reengineered nicotine products to capture the next generation of users.
Against this backdrop, the Eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO FCTC, set to take place in Geneva, Switzerland, from November 17 to 22, is expected to play a critical role in reinvigorating the global tobacco control movement.
The conference aims to facilitate the exchange of best practices, strengthen capacity for evidence-based policy, and build broader international consensus on countering emerging industry threats.
By bringing together researchers, policymakers, and advocates from around the world, COP11 seeks to equip countries, particularly LMICs—with the strategies and resources needed to confront an industry that is rapidly adapting in an effort to secure its future.
The 2025 COP11 holds particular significance for Bangladesh. A review of Bangladesh’s history in tobacco control shows that the country has consistently aligned itself with global efforts to curb the tobacco epidemic from the outset.
Bangladesh was among the earliest nations to sign and ratify the WHO FCTC following its adoption by the 56th World Health Assembly in 2003.
To accelerate implementation, the government enacted its first comprehensive tobacco control legislation—the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act—in 2005 and later strengthened it through a major amendment in 2013.
Most recently, authorities have moved to update the law once again to better reflect WHO FCTC recommendations and address emerging challenges.
The draft amendment proposes several substantial reforms, including the removal of designated smoking areas in all public places and public transport; a ban on tobacco product displays at points of sale; prohibitions on e-cigarettes and vaping devices; restrictions on loose sales of tobacco; and a ban on CSR activities by tobacco companies.
COP11 is expected to bring together a large gathering of over 1400 delegates representing public health experts, government officials, and civil society representatives from around the world.
The conference will provide a platform to review the current state of tobacco control, evaluate progress made by national governments, and shape the future direction of the global tobacco control movement.
For Bangladesh, the gathering in Geneva holds particular significance, offering its delegation—comprising senior government officials and civil society representatives—a valuable opportunity to learn from international best practices and share the country’s own experiences in implementing the treaty.
The insights, strategies, and expertise gained at the conference are expected to play a critical role in advancing Bangladesh’s efforts to build a healthier, tobacco-free nation and strengthen public health outcomes across the country.
(The writer is the Executive Director of PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress). He can be contacted at: [email protected])