Tobacco Asia

22 tobaccoasia Issue 2, 2026 March / April By Timothy Donahue It won't be back for two years. COP11 concluded in Geneva, where 160 parties agreed to a set of new regulatory measures addressing environmental harm, industry li- ability, and the regulation of novel nicotine products. MOP4, however, was far more interesting. MOP officials urged greater commitment to combating illicit tobacco, greater involvement from the criminal jus- tice system, expanded enforcement coor- dination, and stricter operational controls over the tobacco and nicotine supply chain. The 11th Conference of Parties (COP11) to the World Health Organiza- tion's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the 4th session of the Meeting of Parties (MOP4) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products are often held con- secutively, with 2025's MOP4 immediately following COP11 to discuss illicit trade. The biggest news from COP11 was an immediate, strict prohibition on all novel nicotine products (such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches) at all indoor and out- door UN premises worldwide. MOP4 took place two days after COP11 concluded, and that meeting ad- vanced some of the most significant posi- COP11 & MOP4 Prioritize Regulation and Enforcement tions in treaty history. During the official closing briefing of the biennial MOP4, Secretariat leaders described illicit tobacco as a global threat to public health and tax systems, emphasizing the need for governments to increase prosecution and cross- border investigative efforts. Andrew Black, acting head of the WHO FCTC Secretariat, opened the briefing by calling illicit trade "not a victimless crime," noting that it fuels money laundering, corruption, and organized crime, and that it costs governments tax revenue. He reiterated the Secretariat's estimate that elimi- nating illicit tobacco could yield more than US$47 billion in annual savings worldwide. Independent economists note that such glob- al estimates vary with assumptions about baseline volumes and enforcement effectiveness, and that they do not account for shifting consumer behavior or the dynamics of unregulated nicotine markets. Black highlights new decisions made at MOP4, including the formation of a Working Group on Article 6.5 to review controls on key manufacturing inputs; a Working Group on Ar- ticle 24 focused on assistance and cooperation; and a mandate for the Secretariat, the United Na- tions Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the World Customs Organization (WCO) to map global seizure data to help standardize enforce- ment approaches. Parties also adopted guidance to increase the collection of licensing fees to fund monitor- ing and enforcement. During the briefing, Black announced that the island nation of Vanuatu had joined the protocol, raising the total membership to 71 Parties. MOP president Dr. Mansour Zafer Al Kathi- ri reported that over 800 delegates participated and that 80% of Parties reported adherence to Article 5.3—WHO FCTC rules limiting industry engage- ment. He called MOP4 a chance for parties "to recommit themselves to eliminating illicit trade," noting decisions on licensing, seizure, information sharing, prosecution, and manufacturing inputs. New policy actions on environmental impact, industry responsibility, and new nicotine products took center stage at COP11. Credit: WHO. Leaders from the WHO FCTC Secretariat warned that illicit tobacco poses a worldwide risk to both public health and government tax revenues. Credit: WHO. Illicit trade is "not a victimless crime," — Andrew Black, WHO FCTC

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