{"id":30457,"date":"2025-11-10T11:07:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T11:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/?p=30457"},"modified":"2025-11-10T11:21:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T11:21:28","slug":"cop11-agenda-dismisses-harm-reduction-as-tobacco-industry-narrative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/post\/cop11-agenda-dismisses-harm-reduction-as-tobacco-industry-narrative\/","title":{"rendered":"COP11 agenda dismisses harm reduction as \u2018tobacco industry narrative\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

The World Health Organisation\u2019s upcoming tobacco control summit, COP11, is under fire for framing harm reduction as a \u201ctobacco industry narrative\u201d – a move that critics say sidelines evidence and consumer voices.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHO sets tone for closed debate<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Set to take place in Geneva from 17 to 22 November 2025, the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is intended to guide global tobacco policy. The treaty, which came into force in 2005, recognises \u201charm reduction\u201d as part of comprehensive tobacco control. But the provisional COP11 agenda takes a different approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under item 4.5, delegates will be asked to discuss \u201cmeasures to prevent and reduce tobacco consumption, nicotine addiction and exposure to tobacco smoke,\u201d with reference to the \u201ctobacco industry\u2019s narrative on \u2018harm reduction\u2019.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agenda omits FCTC Article 1(d), which defines tobacco control as including harm reduction strategies. Instead, it cites Articles 5.2(b) and 5.3, which focus on government protection from industry influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critics argue that by linking harm reduction to industry interests, the agenda could limit discussion of one of the key approaches to reducing smoking-related harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evidence backs harm reduction<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mainstream health authorities have long recognised the benefits of switching from cigarettes to smoke-free nicotine products. The UK\u2019s Royal College of Physicians concluded that vaping is \u201cunlikely to exceed five per cent of the harm from smoking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public Health England found vapes to be around \u201c95 per cent less harmful\u201d than cigarettes. The NHS and Cancer Research UK also state that vaping exposes users to far fewer toxins and is among the most effective tools for quitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries that have adopted harm reduction policies report steep declines in smoking. New Zealand\u2019s adult smoking rate has dropped to 6.9 per cent, down from 20 per cent a decade ago. Sweden, which allows snus and nicotine pouches, has reduced daily smoking<\/a> to just over five per cent, the lowest in Europe. The UK\u2019s adult smoking rate fell to 11.9 per cent in 2023, the lowest since records began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consumers demand a voice<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The World Vapers\u2019 Alliance (WVA) has launched a campaign to demand inclusion of consumer voices at COP11, projecting its message – \u201cConsumers must be recognised, not sidelined\u201d – onto the Geneva venue ahead of the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WVA Director Michael Landl described the conference as an \u201cecho chamber stuck in outdated, anti-science thinking that fails smokers.\u201d He said: \u201cHarm reduction isn\u2019t a marketing ploy, it\u2019s a public health necessity supported by hard data. Consumers\u2019 lives matter more than ideology or the views of wealthy WHO donors like Michael Bloomberg. It\u2019s time consumers got a real seat at the table.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WVA warns that COP11 discussions could include bans on flavoured vaping, tighter nicotine limits, new taxes and other restrictions. Critics argue such measures would discourage smokers from switching to safer products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cBanning flavours won\u2019t save lives; it sends smokers back to cigarettes,\u201d said WVA operations director Liza Katsiashvili. \u201cDelegates have a choice: listen to the facts or repeat costly mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

COP11 will take place in Geneva from 17 to 22 November 2025.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The World Health Organisation\u2019s upcoming tobacco control summit, COP11, is under fire for framing harm reduction as a \u201ctobacco industry narrative\u201d – a move that critics say sidelines evidence and consumer voices. WHO sets tone for closed debate Set to take place…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":990002,"featured_media":30460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[257],"tags":[27,334,313,186,333],"slider":[],"class_list":["post-30457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-article","tag-global","tag-guide","tag-nicotine","tag-sweden"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/990002"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30457"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30458,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30457\/revisions\/30458"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30457"},{"taxonomy":"slider","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/slider?post=30457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}