human rights

20 Years of the FCTC | Ross Hammond’s Reflection

February 24, 2025

20 Years of FCTC | Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva’s Reflection

February 20, 2025

20 Years of FCTC | Dr. Judith Mackay’s Reflection

February 20, 2025

Author: Prof. Dr. Judith Mackay, Director, Asian Consultancy on Tobacco Control, Hong Kong The birth of the FCTC I clearly remember the 26 October 1993 when Professor Ruth Roemer from the University of California Los Angeles invited me to breakfast during the APHA conference in San Francisco, and discussed the

20 Years of FCTC | Tom Glynn’s Reflection

February 20, 2025

20 Years of FCTC | Soon-Young Yoon’s Reflection

February 20, 2025

Author: Soon-Young Yoon, representative for the International Alliance of Women to the UN What do I think was the most exciting outcome from the WHO FCTC negotiations? My answer is simple. It is a strong support for women’s human rights to health. As the Preamble affirmed….”the Convention on the Elimination

20 Years of FCTC | Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo’s Reflection

February 20, 2025

Author: Ulysses Dorotheo, MD, FPAO, Executive Director of Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance 20 years: Learning from the past to achieve a tobacco-free future The WHO FCTC has been a global health game changer since its entry into force in 2005. Smoking prevalence has declined globally in these past 20 years,

20 Years of FCTC | Luk Joossens’ Reflection

February 20, 2025

20 Years of FCTC | Elif Dagli’s Reflection

February 20, 2025

20 Years of FCTC | Mary Assunta’s Reflection

February 20, 2025

Author: Mary Assunta, Senior Policy Advisor, Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance; Head of Global Research and Advocacy, GGTC The adoption of the WHO FCTC in 2005 is the most significant action that changed global tobacco control forever. It stopped the tobacco industry in its tracks from applying its “divide

20 Years of FCTC | Dr. Eduardo Bianco’s Reflection

February 20, 2025

Author: Dr. Eduardo Bianco, Director, Addiction Training Program for Health Professionals 20 Years of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: A Public Health Milestone Twenty years ago, the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) marked a turning point in global health. As the first global

20 Years of FCTC | Chris Bostic’s Reflection

February 20, 2025

Author: Chris Bostic, Policy Director, Action on Smoking and Health The FCTC changed the world and my life. I had a strange start to my career in tobacco policy. My very first exposure to that cause and community was not as a local volunteer or through a college internship. It

20 Years of FCTC | Dr. Alfred Munzer’s Reflection

February 20, 2025

Author: Dr. Alfred Munzer, Director of Pulmonary Medicine Washington Adventist Hospital, Washington, DC; Former President, American Lung Association and Board Member, Action on Smoking and Health I had a long and successful career as a pulmonologist treating many hundreds of patients with lung disease, but lending my voice to the

20 Years of FCTC | Laurent Huber’s Reflection

February 20, 2025

Author: Laurent Huber, Executive Director, Action on Smoking and Health; former Director, Framework Convention Alliance It has been 25 years since the WHO FCTC negotiations began and 20 years since its entry into force. In May 1999, the World Health Assembly adopted Resolution WHA 52.18, giving the green light for

Empower Women, End Tobacco Exploitation in Luxembourg

February 3, 2025

The tobacco industry is relentlessly targeting women in Luxembourg, using advertisements that portray smoking as glamorous and sexy. But the truth is far darker: tobacco kills millions, and these aggressive marketing tactics violate women’s human rights. We Are Taking Action. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), Fondation Cancer, and Génération

Leaving the World Health Organization is Bad for Public Health

January 21, 2025

Leaving the World Health Organization is Bad for Public Health Media Contact: Megan Manning manningm@ash.org (202) 659-4310 WASHINGTON, DC – January 21, 2025 – Less than a day into his second term, President Trump began the process to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO). During his first

2024 Reflection from ASH Executive Director Laurent Huber

December 19, 2024

The magnitude of the tobacco problem is extremely obvious, and the solutions to address this problem should be simple. The health harm is clear: tobacco is responsible for more than 8 million deaths per year. The environmental impact is also significant as every year the tobacco industry costs the world

ASH’s Accomplishments in 2024

December 17, 2024

ASH’s work is based on the principle that the actions of the tobacco industry – producing, marketing, and selling addictive products that kill when use as intended – violate human rights, for example the right to health. As such, ASH focuses on 4 key areas of work: (1) Phasing out the

A Human Rights-Based Approach to Tobacco

December 9, 2024

All of ASH’s programs are based on the foundational concept that tobacco violates the right to health of all people. We take a human rights-based approach to tobacco control. Our liability program focuses on utilizing the courts and legal systems to protect the right to health from the harms of

Key Highlights from the 2024 U.S. Surgeon General’s Report

November 22, 2024

This week, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a Report on “Eliminating Tobacco-Related Disease and Death: Addressing Disparities.” This is the 35th Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health since 1964, a series of instrumental reports that inspired the name of our organization: Action on Smoking and Health. ASH welcomes this report,

The Birthplace of Human Rights – Switzerland – Allows Corporate Malfeasance

October 7, 2024

Time and time again, Switzerland has prioritized the interests of the deadly tobacco industry over the interests and wishes of Swiss citizens, while publicly claiming to be fully committed to the universal protection of human rights. This new report exposes how Switzerland is failing to adequately protect human rights. Read

Empower Women, End Tobacco Exploitation

October 6, 2024

Media Contact: Megan Manning manningm@ash.org Press Release Below The tobacco industry is relentlessly targeting women worldwide, using advertisements that portray smoking as glamorous and sexy. But the truth is far darker: tobacco kills millions, and these aggressive marketing tactics violate women’s human rights. We Are Taking Action. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)

Tobacco Companies Violate Children’s Human Rights

May 21, 2024

Media Contact: Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy (202) 659 – 4310 Tobacco Companies Violate Children’s Human Rights New Report Released from ASH, Unfairtobacco to Highlight the Rights Being Violated and How to Act in honor of World No Tobacco Day 2024 WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 21, 2024 – Action on Smoking and Health

News Alert: EU Due Diligence Law Approved by European Governments

March 22, 2024

Exciting news from Europe: the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive has been approved by a qualified majority of EU governments! This is a significant step towards protecting human rights and the environment from harm from big corporations, like the tobacco industry. ASH has been monitoring and engaging in this

FCTC COP10: Human Rights Decision

March 1, 2024

The tenth Conference of the Parties (COP 10) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) adopted a series of key Decisions including Decision FCTC/COP10(20) Contribution of the WHO FCTC to the promotion and fulfillment of human rights. ASH is a proud supporter of this Decision adopted by the COP, the

Strengthening Social Justice Worldwide

February 16, 2024

Social justice is both a public health and a human rights issue, and our work at ASH is designed to improve social justice around the world. The United Nations General Assembly recognizes that social development and social justice cannot be attained in the absence of respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, and

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