The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is an international treaty made in response to the global “tobacco epidemic.”
It was the world’s first public health treaty created under the auspices of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The FCTC was first adopted in May 2003 and brought into force in February 2005, making it the fastest ever treaty on any subject to be embraced in United Nations history. Its strategy has also developed at speed since then.
To date, the treaty has been ratified by 182 countries.
Every other year, decision makers from these member countries - or ‘parties’ - come together at a Conference of the Parties (COP). This year will mark the tenth COP (COP10).
The FCTC provides a framework for tobacco control measures to be put in place at national, regional, and international levels. It sets out specific legally-binding steps for governments to address tobacco use, as well as non-binding standards and recommendations.
The treaty emphasises the importance of both reducing demand for tobacco from consumers, and simultaneously reducing supply.
It includes measures to:
- Increases taxes to reduce the demand for tobacco
- Regulate the packaging and labelling of tobacco products
- Warn people about the dangers of tobacco
- Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
- Offer support to people to stop using tobacco
- Ban tobacco sales to and by children
More recently, the FCTC has been tasked with looking into the regulation of alternative tobacco products such as e-cigarettes, or vapes.
The FCTC is not set in stone. Instead, it was designed as a dynamic approach to tobacco control that can be negotiated and added to over time.
