GFN25 Celebrates Breakthrough Success In Tobacco Harm Reduction As Evidence Mounts Against WHO Opposition
The three-day conference, themed "Challenging Perceptions – Effective Communication for Tobacco Harm Reduction," brought together leading scientists, healthcare professionals, and consumer advocates who presented groundbreaking research demonstrating safer nicotine products' effectiveness.
Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA, said: "GFN25 has highlighted the scientific evidence supporting tobacco harm reduction is overwhelming, yet the WHO continues its campaign against products that could save millions of lives. Denying smokers access to safer alternatives is a moral failure."
Dr Mark Tyndall's keynote address, "What's so scary about tobacco harm reduction?" challenged stigma plaguing tobacco harm reduction policy, drawing parallels between drug harm reduction successes and potential tobacco control outcomes.
The conference featured the prestigious Michael Russell Oration and Award ceremony, recognising outstanding contributions to tobacco harm reduction science. The award honoured Fiona Patten, from Australia, whose tireless advocacy for harm reduction was well deserved."
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CAPHRA highlighted how discussions reinforced the importance of consumer voices in tobacco harm reduction. There were multiple consumer sessions for Latin America, central Asia and Eastern Europe highlighting the challenges and opportunities for THR in LMICs.
Asa Saligupta, from ECST Thialand, participated in a session on 20 years of FCTC with esteemed experts such as Derek Yach and Tikki Pangestu, both of whom helped craft the original treaty, and are well placed to evaluate its importance and intentions towards THR.
This was especially timely mounting evidence, the WHO's Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report focuses exclusively on traditional tobacco control whilst ignoring harm reduction approaches. The WHO's MPOWER framework excludes safer nicotine products, maintaining an abstinence-only approach proven inadequate for millions of smokers.
"The WHO's refusal to acknowledge evidence is condemning millions to preventable deaths," said Loucas. "New Zealand has shown what's possible when governments trust science. The WHO's ideological opposition betrays its mission to improve global health."
CAPHRA calls on governments to follow scientific evidence from GFN25 and adopt policies prioritising harm reduction alongside traditional tobacco control. Effective tobacco control requires comprehensive approaches including access to safer alternatives for those unable to quit nicotine.
"The evidence is clear, the science settled, and the moral imperative undeniable," concluded Loucas. "It's time for the WHO and governments to stop playing politics with people's lives and trust science showing safer nicotine products can end the smoking epidemic."
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"We are concerned that in most cases, the hospitals that have come under fire also happen to be the only remaining hospitals in those areas, putting healthcare out of reach for millions including displaced people. With at least 80% of hospitals in Sudan decimated by the conflict, all efforts need to be taken to protect the few standing health facilities still providing services." Save the Children is urgently calling on the international community to redouble efforts to demand a ceasefire to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access and a drastic scale-up of humanitarian assistance. This includes securing safe passage for food, medical aid, commercial supplies, and critical nutrition interventions for children suffering from wasting especially in the Darfur region. Save the Children has worked in Sudan since 1983 and is currently supporting children and their families across Sudan providing health, nutrition, education, child protection and food security and livelihoods support. Save the Children is also supporting refugees from Sudan in Egypt and South Sudan. Notes: [1] In the first half of 2025 at least 38 attacks on healthcare were reported compared to 13 attacks over the same period in 2024. At least 933 people were killed between 1 January and 30 June 2025 in attacks on healthcare recorded by the World Health Organisation's Surveillance System for Attacks on Healthcare. This is compared to 16 people killed in 13 attacks on healthcare over a similar period last year. (Database accessed on 01 July 2025). Table below shows the number of attacks, deaths and injuries as retrieved from WHO's surveillance system for attacks on health care (ssa) on 01 July 2025. Period Number of attacks Reported deaths Injuries January - June 2024 13 16 55 January - June 2025 38 933 148 2023 - 2024 (since start of conflict) 136 238 214 [2] Important note that the WHO surveillance system came into full effect in November 2024 and there is a possibility of underreporting for previous years/ period. [3] According to data from Sudan's ministry of health.
