John,

This week, our global team is participating in the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin, Ireland. We’re celebrating the enormous progress that’s been made in the fight against tobacco and calling on countries around the world to stand up to the tobacco industry and fully implement proven strategies that save lives.

NEW REPORT

To kick things off, the World Health Organization issued a new report – the 2025 WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic – that underscores both the progress that’s been made and the challenges that remain.

The report shows that 155 countries have implemented at least one best-practice tobacco control policy. These policies protect over 6.1 billion people worldwide – up from one billion people in 2007. 

More specifically, the report found:

HOW THIS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED

This progress is a testament to the sustained public health efforts of governments and non-governmental organizations around the world.

This includes Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, which have provided critical leadership by supporting implementation of strong policies in low- and middle-income countries that are most impacted by the global tobacco epidemic. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is proud to be part of this initiative.

OBSTACLES TO PROGRESS

The WHO report makes clear that the tobacco industry remains the primary obstacle to greater progress.

While loudly proclaiming that they support a smoke-free future, tobacco companies continue to aggressively market and sell cigarettes around the world and do everything they can to defeat and undermine effective tobacco control policies.

The industry is also constantly introducing harmful and addictive products – like e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products – with the goal of addicting new generations of tobacco users.

No one should be fooled: The tobacco industry is the cause of the problem, not the solution.

PROVEN SOLUTIONS

Tobacco control policies offer governments a proven, cost-effective strategy to fight non-communicable diseases like cancer and heart disease, save millions of lives and reduce billions in health care costs. Governments must fully implement these policies and put the health and lives of their citizens before the profits of the tobacco industry.

We're fighting every day to make sure that happens.

Support our life-saving work by making a contribution today:

Thanks for standing with us,