Global youth voices calls on COP10 delegates for urgent action on tobacco control

Over 30 youth organizations worldwide have signed on to a Global Youth statement addressed to the delegates of the Tenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). They demand that the tobacco industry should be regulated or restricted from associating itself with “harm reduction,” “wellness,” “sustainability,” and “producer responsibility;” more so, it should bear the financial consequences of its myriad harms. Read the statement.

Getting to know the global youth voices

The Global Youth Voices (GYV) is a movement that represents youth coalitions and organizations from across the globe. Since 2020, GYV has raised concerns about the tobacco industry’s marketing tactics, especially for its novel and addictive recreational products. GYV seeks to make the tobacco industry pay for the harms caused to the planet and its people, not only for this generation but also for future generations.

GGTC is a convenor and co-founder of GYV and provides technical assistance and secretariat support. Since 2020, GGTC has been supporting GYV in their advocacy. Their milestones include:

August 2020 Campaign: Open letter to Federation Internationale De L’automobile on putting an end to tobacco’s sports advertising
August 2021: Global Media Competition: Make tobacco pay
August 2022 Statement: Intergenerational Responsibility of Tobacco Industry
August 2023 International Youth Day: Webinar, video , blog, and coordinating messages for Delegates at COP10.
October 2023: Youth Statement for Delegates at COP10
November 2023: WHO campaign on supporting youth groups to highlight tobacco industry tactics and influence public health policies.
December 2023: WHO statement to control e-cigarette use to protect children and the broader population.
February 2024: GYV's Speech* at COP10 plenary session.

*Speech could be watched at the livestream section, Item 5 Part 3, at 34:00

Global Youth Voices Puts Firm Positions for COP10 Agenda

Youth organizations worldwide have come together with the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC) to put forward firm positions on matters to be decided by the COP10 that will be meeting in Panama on 2024. Global Youth Voices calls for banning novel recreational addictive products, supporting work on liability, advancing tobacco regulation efforts, and endorsing additional guidelines to tackle tobacco depiction in entertainment and digital media, among others. Read the full brief developed with the key youth organizations.

Uncovering the truths behind the tobacco industry’s deception

The Global Youth concerns were raised in the international platform when the tobacco industry’s tactics were featured in an in-depth report through The New York Times, prepared by GGTC for STPA.

Vaping Epidemic: A new hazard faced by children and the young generation

Listen to the insights of Dr. Andrew Bush, a leading UK-based consultant pediatric chest physician, as he discusses the harmful effects of vaping misinformation and its role in the increase of tobacco use among children and young adults.

Tobacco Industry: Manipulating the youth into a lifelong addiction

The tobacco industry manipulates the youth into a lifelong addiction through flavors and targeted marketing. It publicizes its so-called contributions to society to mask long-term health and socio-economic harms while keeping children in tobacco farms and lobbying against policies that protect children. More so, top tobacco companies' vaping product brands are widely advertised in sports events; with fancy brands splashed onto fast cars designed to target the youth then streamed online to young audience.

Tobacco Industry: Hindrance to the elimination of child labor

The WHO FCTC has provided clear approaches to eliminating child labor to increase government protection for tobacco industry farmers and children.

GGTC along with other organizations took action on this issue by drawing the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)’s attention to the necessity of removing as a participant, an alliance of tobacco producers and manufacturers established to further their interests (Eliminating Child Labor in Tobacco-Growing Foundation). A related initiative involved urging the International Labor Organization to reject funding and partnerships from the tobacco industry. Instead, the call is to impose strict regulations on the industry to ensure the complete eradication of child labor in tobacco, one of many human rights violations precipitated by tobacco industry practices.

New voices championing new tobacco products

The tobacco industry has been aggressively targeting the youth in many countries. A brief produced by GGTC for Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP) showed that young individuals who use e-cigarettes and have never smoked increase their risk of taking up traditional cigarette smoking later in life by two to four-fold in these settings. In the guise of ‘cessation’ or helping smokers quit, the tobacco industry justifies the risks of youth uptake and aggressively markets to the youth, especially through social media.

An inherent contradiction:The tobacco industry’s ESG activities

In order to avoid misleading investors and the public, tobacco companies’ Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) reports should provide an accurate and independent assessment of its harms such as metrics for persons killed, children harmed, youth addicted, farmers impoverished, economic losses sustained, natural resources killed or polluted, and other core impact areas.

Tobacco industry accountability and liability in the time of COVID-19

The tobacco industry must be held accountable for its role in accelerated marketing to youth, skyrocketing healthcare costs, environmental damage, human rights violations including child labor, and more, especially as COVID-19 exacerbates these pressing issues.

Women and the tobacco industry

The tobacco industry targets women and funds women’s think tanks to promote its products, especially those marketed as “less harmful.” This strategy fraught with dangers of youth uptake.