8 July 2025, Bangkok – “At what age would you like your child to start smoking?” More than a thousand delegates, convened in Dublin from across the globe for the 2025 World Conference on Tobacco Control (WCTC) responded unanimously: Never.
This question was posed by Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), urging countries to adopt the Tobacco-Free Generation (TFG) policy, which would permanently prohibit the sale of tobacco or nicotine to anyone born after a specific date. “This policy is a vaccine that protects our children from tobacco and nicotine,” Dr. Dorotheo said.
The TFG proposal received the highest number of votes from WCTC delegates during the live poll at a session on forward-looking measures for the future of global tobacco control, confirming the urgent need to protect young people from the tobacco industry’s aggressive targeting.
The tobacco industry’s continued interference in tobacco control was a central theme in the plenary titled “Mission Possible: Every Battle Moves Us Closer to Winning the Global Tobacco War,” where experts shared how advocates, the media, and governments are successfully exposing and challenging the industry’s attempts to rebrand itself as “part of the solution” with its so-called “smoke-free” narrative while still marketing to youth and driving nicotine addiction.
Chaired by Dr. Dorotheo and Dr. Judith Mackay, Director of the Asian Consultancy on Tobacco Control, the session featured experts from Peru, Nigeria, New Zealand, and the United States who highlighted how whistleblowers, investigative journalism, policy reforms, and legal actions are helping to denormalize the tobacco industry worldwide.
This year’s WCTC was the first in-person gathering of the world’s tobacco control advocates, researchers, and policy makers since 2018. An estimated 1,300 delegates from more than 100 countries were present. A noticeable increase in youth participation compared to previous conferences reflected a growing concern on how the tobacco industry is aggressively promoting electronic smoking devices (ESDs) like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products to young people.
SEATCA warned that the youth are especially vulnerable, as tobacco companies exploit regulatory gaps and digital platforms to reach them. They presented tools such as the FCTC Scorecard and the Tobacco Industry Interference Index to help governments enforce policies and industry pressure.
“As a global community, we already know what works, and we have the technical support and resources available to protect youth and future generations from the harms of tobacco. What we need now is political will,” said Dr. Dorotheo.
Contact Information:
Ms. Cyresse Ann Achilleos, Media and Communications Officer, SEATCA
Email: cyresse@seatca.org
Mobile: +63 975 701 7130
About the World Conference on Tobacco Control 2025
The World Conference on Tobacco Control (formerly WCTOH) is the leading global event for tobacco control that unites academics, health professionals, NGOs, and policymakers from over 100 countries, marking the first in-person meeting since 2018. The Conference offers a vital platform to share successes, best practices, and strengthen efforts to counter the tobacco industry.
About SEATCA
SEATCA is a multi-sectoral non-governmental alliance promoting health and saving lives by assisting ASEAN countries to accelerate and effectively implement the tobacco control measures contained in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). SEATCA is an accredited ASEAN entity and an official Observer to the WHO FCTC Conference of Parties. WHO bestowed on SEATCA the World No Tobacco Day Award in 2004 and the WHO Director-General’s Special Recognition Award in 2014.