Envoys from more than 110 countries have been meeting in Geneva this week to discuss details related to the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).

According to the WHO many of the countries joining this first Conference of the Parties (COP) in Geneva have already implemented some of the measures in the convention.
In a statement it said: ‘Ireland, Norway and Spain, for example, have recently banned smoking in indoor public places. India has comprehensive tobacco advertising bans. Brazil, Canada, Thailand and Singapore print graphic warnings on cigarette packages.’
‘This group has already changed history,’ said Dr LEE Jong-wook, Director-General of the World Health Organization. ‘The convention is something that we all committed to. Its provisions are bold. They are based on knowledge of what is effective. We will make it work.’
The WHO says that many measures in the WHO FCTC have deadlines. For example, from the Treaty's entry into force, countries have three years to enforce health warnings on tobacco products, and five years to implement comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
Other measures, such as those regarding illicit trade or cross-border advertising, have not yet been detailed in the Treaty. The WHO says that COP could decide to develop protocols and specific guidelines and requirements for countries to implement these measures.