Members of the Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG), part of the University of Bath’s Centre for 21st Century Public Health (C21PH), will attend a major meeting of a global public health treaty this November.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) came into effect on 27 February 2005. This year marks its 20th anniversary, a significant milestone that offers an opportunity to reflect on the Treaty’s achievements over the past two decades, as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

The WHO FCTC seeks to safeguard public health through global cooperation, addressing the worldwide spread of the tobacco epidemic and tackling complex, cross-border challenges essential for effective tobacco control. Two decades after its adoption, recent assessments show that up to 5.6 billion people worldwide are now protected by at least one effective, evidence-based tobacco control measure derived from the WHO FCTC.

Representatives of the 183 Parties to the WHO FCTC, alongside members of civil society organisations, meet in person every two years to advance global tobacco control policies by assessing progress, strengthening accountability, and reinforcing the Treaty's role in reducing tobacco use. This meeting is referred to as the Conference of the Parties (COP), and this year is called COP11, as it is the 11th meeting to take place.

From 17 to 22 November 2025, COP11 will be held in Geneva, Switzerland. Over 1000 people are expected to attend from Parties and civil society organisations across the world. A delegation of 12 will be attending from the University of Bath, as speakers, presenters, observers, monitors, or to support communications.

After COP11 finishes, the 4th Meeting of Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (MOP 4) will immediately commence. At this meeting, Parties will discuss strategies to counter the illicit trade in tobacco products, and two TCRG members will attend to observe proceedings.

TCRG is one of only two UK organisations (alongside Cancer Research UK), to obtain observer status for COP, and is the only one to have observer status for MOP. Furthermore, the University of Bath is the only university to have observer status at either event. This official observer status and TCRG’s unique position as an academic observer are a significant acknowledgement of the long-term contribution made by the research group to global tobacco control. This will be the third time that the team will attend the WHO FCTC COP in this capacity.

TCRG’s work has been essential in contributing to the lead-up to COP11 in several ways. Two global expert group reports, along with a report by the Treaty Secretariat, draw on TCRG research and will be considered at COP11. These official agenda items will address some of the most complex yet promising aspects of the Treaty’s future development, with significant potential to strengthen global tobacco control measures. Notably, TCRG’s work on holding the tobacco industry financially accountable by curbing excessive profits, as well as its research on retail reduction measures, is cited in the WHO FCTC Article 2.1 Expert Group report. This report focuses on ‘forward-looking measures’ aimed at expanding the Treaty and keeping pace with the tobacco industry’s evolving strategies and new products.

Tobacco Tactics, a TCRG industry monitoring and tactics web platform, is also highlighted as a key resource for delegates and Parties working on issues related to industry liability. Additionally, a member of TCRG served on the Expert Group on Article 19 of the Treaty.

TCRG members have also contributed to official briefing events to inform country delegation teams and advocacy organisations about COP11 priority issues. This includes speaking at an event held by the WHO Americas / Pan American Health Organization Region to highlight the latest misleading tobacco industry behaviours around their ‘transformation’ narrative, presenting at a Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC) webinar on maximising transparency and addressing conflicts of interest, and engaging with the European Pre-COP civil society meetings.

A recent episode of TCRG’s podcast, Deadly Industry: Challenging Big Tobacco, focused on exploring what happens at COP and MOP, the role played by civil society at these events, and how Big Tobacco tries to interfere with the proceedings.

During COP11 and MOP4, TCRG will play a number of important roles. TCRG members will attend as observers to the proceedings and monitor any potential tobacco industry interference. Members of the group will also contribute to the GATC daily briefing bulletin for attendees.

Attendees from TCRG will take part in several side events during the conference including speaking at a session focused on conflicts of interest and Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC, presenting in a session on the tobacco industry’s misleading portrayal of the Swedish experience, and participating in a session exploring global lessons learned from the implementation of the WHO FCTC policy.

The decisions made at COP and MOP directly shape tobacco control policy and practices both in the UK and worldwide. TCRG’s ongoing work to research, monitor, and expose the activities of the tobacco industry provides essential evidence to support these high-level discussions and agreements.

Through the University of Bath’s globally recognised research and monitoring expertise, we make invaluable contributions to advancing global public health, particularly at a time when the pandemic of tobacco use continues to threaten lives worldwide. Working alongside global leaders in tobacco control and presenting in significant numbers at this WHO-level event, our collective efforts reinforce the UK’s and the University of Bath’s leadership and expertise in promoting evidence-based policy and protecting populations from the harms of tobacco.

TCRG will be sharing updates on their experiences at COP11 and MOP4. To stay up to date, follow them on LinkedIn, Bluesky and X.