The Problem

Tobacco kills almost 14,000 people every day. Unless urgent action is taken, tobacco will kill 10 million people a year by 2020, 70 percent of them in developing countries. The tobacco industry, under heightened pressure from a global tobacco control movement, is taking aim at developing countries unprepared to deal with its deadly products and deceptive marketing techniques.

The result? Widespread health, economic and even social problems. A sick workforce is a less productive one. When women and young people become ill from tobacco, it is even more challenging for these often-marginalized groups to lead productive lives.

The Solution

A global movement to reduce tobacco use is gaining momentum, with a growing number of nations choosing to adopt scientifically proven measures to reduce tobacco use.

A tobacco treaty, called the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), commits ratifying nations to implement the following:

• A ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (with an exception for nations with constitutional constraints);
• Large, graphic health warnings on cigarette packs;
• Measures to protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke;
• Tobacco product price increases; and
• Regulation of the content of tobacco products.

Additional Information:

• Learn more about the tobacco treaty.

• Learn more about major issues in tobacco control, from advertising to secondhand smoke.