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, product and consumer. Read the report and draft decision here.

Today’s business included discussion of Agenda item 4.4, which focuses on Articles 9 and 10 focusing on the testing and measuring of the contents and emissions of tobacco products, regulation of these contents and emissions, as well as requiring disclosure on the toxicity and addictiveness of tobacco products. Work on Articles 9 and 10 started at COP 1 and measures were adopted at COP 4 and COP 7. A Working Group had been established, but progress stalled, so an Expert Group was then created, which issued partial guidelines related Articles 9 and 10. At COP 10, the recommendation was that future work on Articles 9 and 10 should be deferred for a future COP.

While consensus has not been reached on guidelines, work has continued to ensure Parties have the necessary technical expertise and support for implementation, taking into account the wide diversity of products and constantly evolving product landscape. WHO released a report on strengthening implementation of Articles 9 and 10, including a report last week from the Tobacco Product Regulation group that provided guidance on many topics including sugars, flavors, and design features that make tobacco products attractive to youth, as well as recommendations for standardized product testing, which has been implemented at five centers for tobacco product regulation established in various countries across the world (see here and  here).

Work also continued on Agenda Item 4.2 about tobacco industry liability (Article 19), and Agenda item 4.3, about the protection of the environment (Article 18). Yesterday, ASH participated in a side event on Article 19 that highlighted efforts by governmental and non-governmental actors in countries around the world to hold the industry legally accountable for the death, disease, and environmental damage it has caused.

As always, there is a possibility of hours of debate about all of these agenda items. Here, the words of Mexico at the opening plenary are pertinent:

“…out there, millions of people are being persuaded every day to consume products that kill, and for that reason, we cannot engage in circular discussions while the tobacco industry reorganizes, disguises itself, and continues to advance. They sell us addiction, illusion, and now, once again, the deceptive notion of reduced risk.”