Global Panel Urges Rapid Reform of WHO and FCTC to Embrace Science, Transparency, and Consumer Voices

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is leading a robust and candid panel discussion on Wednesday alongside the Global Forum on Nicotine in Warsaw, Poland.

Consumer advocates will issue a resounding call for urgent reform of the taxpayer-funded World Health Organization (WHO) and its tobacco control arm, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The panel argues that years of politicized policymaking, opaque governance, and disregard for consumer perspectives have rendered the FCTC increasingly ineffective and out of touch with scientific and social realities.

Calls for reform of international health institutions have intensified in recent years, with the WHO’s pandemic response drawing widespread criticism and renewed scrutiny of its broader governance failures. The FCTC has not been immune. With smoking rates not declining in many regions and growing disillusionment about the Convention’s approach, panellists say it’s time for a serious reset.

Martin Cullip, TPA International Fellow, observes that it has been clear for some time that WHO policies are missing the mark. “The FCTC has become a political instrument rather than a science-based treaty. If the WHO is serious about reform, the FCTC must be radically overhauled.”

Ignacio Leiva, President of ASOVAPE in Chile, shares his country’s perspective. “In Chile, including consumer voices helped us pass a law that recognizes the difference between smoking and vaping. That’s exactly what the FCTC needs. Evidence-based policymaking built on dialogue, not dogma.”

Nancy Loucas, representing Asian consumers, highlights the real-world harms of the WHO’s current stance. “The WHO’s policy shift against tobacco harm reduction ignores decades of evidence and disproportionately punishes low and middle-income countries. This isn’t public health, it’s health inequality.”

Consumer advocacy is a recurring theme, with speakers emphasising the importance of hearing from the people most affected by nicotine policies.

Maria Papaioannoy of Rights 4 Vapers, Canada, emphasizes that “it’s critical to counter the misinformation about safer nicotine products, especially when it comes from those in power. Consumers have voices, and it’s time they were heard at FCTC COP11.”

Tom Gleeson, Trustee of New Nicotine Alliance Ireland, echoes the call for evidence-based reform. “The FCTC hasn’t adapted since 2005 to account for safer nicotine products,” he said. “Instead, it pats itself on the back for reducing percentages while the number of smokers stays the same. The war on tobacco shouldn’t come at the cost of the very people it’s meant to help.”

The panel discussion concludes with a unified appeal. Reform must focus on transparency, scientific integrity, and consumer inclusion. Participants call on the WHO and FCTC to step away from ideological posturing and prohibitionist strategies and instead commit to pragmatic policies that save lives.

The panel’s message is clear. Real reform starts when science speaks louder than politics and when the people most affected are invited to the table.

To request interviews with a harm reduction expert, contact Kara Zupkus at kara@protectingtaxpayers.org. Watch a previous TPA webinar featuring experts here.

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