Bangkok, 7 October 2025 — The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) today reaffirmed its support for the strong safeguards in the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) to protect public health policy from the vested and commercial interests of the tobacco industry, as required under Article 5.3 of the treaty.
SEATCA commended the strict registration and disclosure requirements for the upcoming eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO FCTC (COP11) this November, which are designed to ensure transparency and integrity in global health negotiations. The requirements — including proof of independence from tobacco industry funding — are necessary to protect tobacco control policies from tobacco industry interference and influence.
Citing the world’s recent failure to agree on a global plastics treaty and the lack of progress at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, SEATCA pointed to the lack of strong measures to keep corporate lobbyists out of those global negotiating processes.
“History shows that the tobacco industry has worked for decades to undermine tobacco control, including through third parties disguised as consumer rights advocacy groups. Groups promoting e-cigarettes and heated tobaccoproducts on unfounded claims of harm reduction are clearly promoting industry interests, nicotine addiction, and health harms,” said Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, SEATCA’s Executive Director.
“These industry tactics are well-documented, and the industry’s track record shows it continues to aggressively market addictive products, target youth, and oppose effective tobacco control measures. Guarding against industry interference is essential to ensure that decisions made at COP11 are based on the best available evidence and in the interest of public health, not to protect the profits of a harmful industry,” continued Dorotheo.
“The FCTC has clear and transparent criteria for observer accreditation, and it is unacceptable to open the door to industry influence through groups that do not meet these criteria,” added Dorotheo.
SEATCA emphasized that the WHO FCTC remains the world’s first and only global health treaty, with 183 State Parties committed to protecting present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental, and economic consequences of tobacco use, nicotine addiction, and exposure to tobacco smoke.
SEATCA called on governments, civil society, and the media to remain vigilant against tobacco industry misinformation and stand firmly behind the WHO FCTC process as COP11 approaches. Protecting public health requires unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability and freedom from industry manipulation
Contact Information:
Ms. Cyresse Ann Achilleos, Media and Communications Officer, SEATCA
Email:cyresse@seatca.org
Mobile: +63 975 701 7130
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.