November 21, 2025 – Throughout the opening statements by the Parties at the COP Plenary on Day 1, government delegations were consistent in congratulating the President of the Convention, and then they would go through the various articles to which they claimed compliance. It was so very striking how minimal
November 20, 2025 – As predicted in the Day 3 blog, debate about the Article 2.1 Expert Group report and decision on Forward Looking Measures (also known as tobacco endgame) soaked up time until the end of the day. These measures are broadly grouped under four domains: tobacco supply, institutional structure/market,
November 19, 2025 – The third day of COP11 had mixed outcomes. Agenda items included making UN campuses nicotine and aerosol free, Article 18 on the Environment, and Article 19 on Liability as well as Article 2.1 Forward-Looking Measures (FLMs) – all ASH priorities. Article 19 on Liability was a
November 18, 2025 – Today the COP shifted in high gear and began debating substantive issues. First on the docket is Article 2.1, Forward-Looking Measures (FLMs). ASH has taken a lead on this issue for the civil society community for one important reason – the report on FLMs that the
Throughout the WHO FCTC Conference of the Parties (COP), the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC) awards the Orchid to a stand out Party and the Dirty Ashtray to a Party working counter to a strong FCTC. On Tuesday, November 18, 2025, Mexico won the Orchid Award in the GATC
November 17, 2025 – Greetings from Geneva and the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The COP officially began today, but of course a lot of the work is done before the first gavel falls. The day began with a civil society
Across the United States, more and more communities are taking action to protect their residents from the deadly, manipulative tactics of the tobacco industry. What was once considered an ambitious vision—the tobacco endgame—is rapidly becoming a reality at the local level. In Massachusetts, 19 towns (as of November 5, 2025)
Author: Angeline Morgado, ASH Policy Intern The Breaking Free Nicotine Liberation Summit, founded by Dr. Karen Beard, CTTS, Amplify Love’s National Spokesperson, was presented in partnership with Amplify Love and The Breaking Free from Nicotine Project. It invited participants to reconsider how nicotine treatment has traditionally been framed and delivered
Media Contact: Megan Manning ManningM@ash.org (202) 659 – 4310 Tobacco Industry Interference Reaches New Heights in U.S. New Report from ASH Details Violations of Global Best Practices and Recommendations WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 30, 2025 – Today, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) released the 2025 U.S. Tobacco Industry Interference
The tobacco industry’s influence in U.S. policymaking has reached an alarming new level. According to the newly released 2025 U.S. Tobacco Industry Interference Index from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), the United States now ranks 98th out of 100 countries — its worst score ever — when it comes
Author: Angeline Morgado, ASH Policy Intern October 11, 2025 While global smoking rates among women have dropped faster than those of men, the story is far from over. According to the CDC, in the United States, about 10.1% of women still report smoking cigarettes every day or on some days.
Autora: Angeline Morgado, pasante de Políticas de ASH October 7, 2025 Click here for the version in English> Antes de que comenzara el 62.º Consejo Directivo, 77.ª sesión del Comité Regional de la OMS para las Américas, Washington D. C., EE.UU., ya existía un sentido de comunidad y de priorización
Author: Angeline Morgado, ASH Policy Intern October 7, 2025 Click aquí para leer la versión en Español> Before the opening session of the 62nd Directing Council, the 77th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Americas, in Washington, D.C., USA, there was already a sense of community and prioritization
Media Contact: Megan Manning (202) 390 – 9513 Powerful New Tobacco Cessation Drug Added to WHO Essential Medicines List – Cytisine GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – SEPTEMBER 5, 2025 – Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) released the 2025 version of the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (EML) with a major
Today, August 15, 2025 at 10:00 am Geneva time – ASH stands with the high ambition countries that refused to accept the fatally weak text offered by countries that benefit from plastic production. No treaty is better than a weak treaty that depends on voluntary actions, falls short on
Contentious Draft Text Divides Negotiators as Plastics Treaty Talks Near Deadline August 13, 2025 – On the ninth day of negotiations for the UN treaty to end plastic pollution, the Chair released a new text that drew strong criticism from both ends of the spectrum. High-ambition countries seeking a robust
Youth Demand Action on the Plastics Treaty August 12, 2025 – On the eighth day of the final round of negotiations to develop a treaty addressing plastic pollution, Geneva sweltered at 100°F—but there was still no meaningful agreement in sight. This, despite a loud and clear plea from youth leaders to governments: “If
August 11, 2025 – Wide Divides Persist in Plastics Treaty Negotiations Negotiations on the global plastics treaty resumed in Geneva on Monday for a seventh straight day, following closed-door talks on Sunday. Despite intensive discussions, a wide gap remains between countries pushing for a strong agreement and major plastic-producing states,
August 9, 2025 – Countries remain divided as the 5th day of negotiations continue late into the night. While a still significant number of countries continues to call for a meaningful treaty to end plastic pollution, the powerful oil and plastic producing states continue to block any language that would
Guest Blog from Luciano Ruggia from the Swiss Association for Tobacco Control August 8, 2025 – The INC 5.2 negotiations in Geneva: a recipe for a plastic disaster? As the first week of what is meant to be the final round of negotiations in Geneva draws to a close, the
August 7, 2025 – Today we witnessed another day of intense negotiations. On the positive side, more than 120 countries support the concept of introducing a dedicated health article in the plastic treaty, something that would greatly help align the plastic treaty to the tobacco treaty. Also, a number of
Divided Paths at INC-5.2: The Future of the Global Plastics Treaty Hangs in the Balance August 6, 2025 – Day two of the INC-5.2 negotiations has revealed a stark divide among participating countries. On one side are nations committed to creating a strong, binding global instrument to tackle plastic pollution
August 5, 2025 – Today, countries of the world began the last round of negotiations of the UN Treaty to End Plastic Pollution. We hope countries will be able to agree on what steps are needed to tackle the most problematic forms plastic pollution. ASH will be present throughout the negotiations
Media Contact: Megan Manning (202) 390 – 9513 UN Treaty Must Ban Cigarette Filters – Global Health and Environmental Groups Urge Action GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – AUGUST 5, 2025 – Starting today, governments from around the world are meeting in Geneva for the final round of negotiations (INC5.2) for a new
Media Contact: Megan Manning (202) 390 – 9513 Tobacco Industry Expands Lobbying Efforts by 24% across the U.S. in 2025 New Data Released in ASH’s Lobbyist Tracker WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 31, 2025 – Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) released the 4th edition of the U.S. Tobacco Industry Lobbyist and
