Fighting back

The tobacco epidemic must be stopped. The tobacco industry’s targeting of women and girls must end. WHO calls on the public to demand that governments ban all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and push for bans on tobacco smoke in all public places and workplaces.

This call for action is strongly supported by the FCTC, ratified so far by 46 Member States of the European Region. WHO produces practical guidelines to better support them in implementing the articles of the FCTC, including Article 13 on banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.

WHO also provides Member States with tools and advice to develop policies and interventions for tobacco control. This support includes the policy package MPOWER (the acronym stands for Monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies, Protecting people from tobacco smoke, Offering help to quit tobacco use, Warning about the dangers of tobacco, Enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and Raising taxes on tobacco).

WHO works with such partners as Bloomberg Philanthropies, the European Commission, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the World Lung Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Together, they share a commitment to scale up tobacco control efforts and support countries in implementing effective interventions in line with the best evidence and policies.