Women comprise roughly 20% of the world’s 1 billion+ people who smoke, with about 200 million female tobacco users globally. Although smoking among women is generally decreasing, it is falling at a slower rate than in men. Tobacco disproportionately harms women and girls and is often overlooked as a women’s rights issue.

In early 2025, ASH and our partners achieved a breakthrough moment — one that powerfully connects tobacco control with women’s human rights.

For the first time, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) formally recognized the harmful impact of tobacco use on women and girls during its review of Luxembourg. During Luxembourg’s review, CEDAW expressed concern that tobacco use among women and girls exceeds the European average and called on the government to develop a national tobacco control plan with a gender perspective. This milestone signals a major shift: tobacco control is no longer viewed solely as a public health matter — it is now clearly acknowledged as a human rights issue. This shift opens more avenues for us to pursue our overarching goal, tobacco endgame.

This achievement did not happen overnight. It reflects years of strategic advocacy by civil society organizations working to ensure that global human rights mechanisms address the tobacco epidemic’s gendered impact.

Through parallel reporting, coalition-building, and direct engagement with UN treaty bodies, ASH and our partners around the world have worked to reframe tobacco as a human rights and equity issue.

Momentum is building — and this victory shows that sustained advocacy can shift international institutions and national policies alike.

2026 International Women’s Day: Gain to Win

This year, 2026, the International Women’s Day theme, “Gain to Win,” offers a powerful call to action. When women and girls gain protection, autonomy, and equitable health policies, society wins.

This moment presents an opportunity to turn momentum into measurable progress.

Supporting advocacy efforts ensures that CEDAW’s recommendations translate into real-world policy change. Donations fuel research, legal engagement, coalition-building, and grassroots mobilization — all essential to holding governments accountable.

Progress is possible. This win proves it.

“Gain to Win” is not just a theme; it is a strategy.

With your support, we can ensure that tobacco control becomes firmly rooted in the global fight for gender equality — protecting the rights, health, and futures of women and girls everywhere.

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If you are interested in reading more about tobacco and women’s rights, ASH Managing Attorney Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy has contributed a chapter entitled “Tobacco Industry Corporate Malfeasance and Women’s Rights Violations” to a book on Women’s Health and Corporate Marketing.