Good COP 2.0 – Daily Download: Wednesday, November 19

Overview

The third day of Good COP 2.0 offered a sweeping look at the scientific, consumer, and regulatory realities facing more than 600 million smokers across the Asia-Pacific region. Speakers emphasized how the WHO’s refusal to embrace tobacco harm reduction continues to produce policy failures—especially in areas with limited healthcare infrastructure.

New research on the South-East Asia Region (SEAR) and the Western Pacific Region (WPR) unveiled deep inconsistencies between the data and the WHO’s policy recommendations. Experts highlighted that consumer advocacy remains under attack in many Asian countries, yet demand for safer alternatives is growing rapidly. The day underscored the global consequences of the FCTC Secretariat’s rigid opposition to innovation and evidence.

WHAT THE EXPERTS ARE SAYING:

Morning Sessions:

Regulator Watch & Opening Remarks (David Williams, Martin Cullip, Dr. Mark Tyndall, and Gabriel Oke)

“We need countries to step up and make clear that they don’t want to be a part of this prohibitionary process and advocate for a holistic harm reduction approach.” – David Williams

“This is not even so much a WHO conference as it is a Bloomberg show. In this environment where so much has been co-opted by one guy, it is hard to achieve a balanced perspective.” – Mark Tyndall

“We have a large percentage of people who smoke in Africa, and it is really important that we are part of the discussion and decision-making. You cannot deny that WHO has done a lot for healthcare in Africa, and the FCTC-related activities unfortunately undermine that work.” – Gabriel Oke

Asia Day Welcome Address (Nancy Loucas)

“We must reclaim the integrity of the evidence, and the evidence for harm reduction is far more rigorous than the ‘science’ supporting prohibition.” – Nancy Loucas

Keynote Address: Tobacco Harm Reduction: A Pathway to Public Health in Southeast Asia (Prof. Tikki Pangestu)

“Evidence-based policymaking is key. There needs to be joint research across the region on prevalence, economics, and health impacts of e-cigarette use. The lack of research has been a real problem in ASEAN countries.” – Tikki Pangestu

“Technology is moving very quickly, and regulators are struggling to keep up with the pace of innovation.” – Tikki Pangestu

“Ten percent of government income comes from taxes on tobacco. Are you ready to remove that income?” – Tikki Pangestu

Session One: Consumer Perspectives: Voices from the Asia Pacific (Clarisse Yvette Virgino and Asa Saligupta)

“Consumer advocates in the Philippines are still trying to ask our government for a more balanced and impartial approach to regulation. The rules right now are very stringent, and the people demand a more humane approach. It’s not just about revenue; it’s about the consumers.” – Clarisse Yvette Virgino

“Thailand says that you cannot claim to have ‘quit’ tobacco unless you completely abstain from nicotine. I guess that means I’ll have to quit eating tomatoes and eggplant because they contain nicotine.” – Asa Saligupta

Afternoon Panels:

Harm Reduction Denied in Asia Pacific (Nancy Loucas)

“While the WHO champions needle exchange programs for HIV, substitution programs for opioid use, and moderation-based approaches for alcohol consumption, it has systematically excluded tobacco harm reduction from the conversation.” –  Nancy Loucas

Session Two: Science and Medicine: Evidence-Based Approaches to Tobacco Harm Reduction (Dr. Rohan Sequeira and Prof. Sharifa Puteh)

“The experience with nicotine replacement therapy has been disappointing, and patients often find themselves without an exit strategy. There has to be a better alternative available.” – Rohan Sequeira

“India has 40 percent of the world’s oral cancer, 95 percent of which can be traced to tobacco. When you have a modifiable risk factor, why are you not allowing people to modify it?” – Rohan Sequeira

“I have a lot of colleagues who would like to speak out on harm reduction, but they cannot for a variety of reasons. Yet it is so important to reduce tobacco harms at a population level.” – Sharifa Puteh

Session Three: Regulatory Frameworks: Balancing Innovation and Public Health in Asia Pacific (Heneage Mitchell, Dr. Rohan Sequiera, Dr. Sharifa Puteh, Clarisse Yvette Virgino, Asa Saligupta, Sairah Salim Sartoni, Nancy Loucas)

“About 63 percent of global tobacco users live in Asia. So, in examining the tobacco epidemic, you have to look at Asia as fundamental in the struggle to curb and eliminate use. The goal of our advocacy is to help people outside the policy bubble understand what’s happening.” – Heneage Mitchell

“The people have the right to access these alternatives. Sovereign states need to remember that.” – Clarisse Yvette Virgino

“If anyone can come up with new, innovative alternatives that help people quit smoking, go ahead. But so far, the best options we have are the ones that governments are trying to ban.” – Sharifa Puteh

Dispatches from COP11

A report from Euractiv journalists Sarantis Michalopoulos and Thomas Mangin on COP11 developments provides a sobering reality check for advocates of prohibition.

They write, “The European Union’s lack of unity at a crucial [WHO] meeting on tobacco bans this week acted as a ‘testing ground’ ahead of a much-anticipated debate on Europe’s tobacco rules, an EU diplomat said.” Nine countries—Italy, Greece, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Cyprus, Portugal, and Czechia—”objected to the Commission’s proposals on so-called forward-looking policies, which mainly include restrictions such as generational bans on cigarettes, filter bans, retailer restrictions, and ending government support for tobacco farming and production. Their main argument was that the forward-looking proposals were excessive and had not been properly discussed or evaluated for effectiveness.”

Coupled with Serbia and New Zealand’s calls for harm reduction, this dissent is a welcome sign that the WHO’s ban-heavy approach is failing to win favor.

Key Takeaways

• New WPR/SEAR research shows WHO’s anti-THR stance is harming public health.
• Asia-Pacific nations face high smoking burdens but are denied effective harm reduction pathways.
• Regional voices stressed that innovation must be part of public health, not treated as a threat.

Looking Ahead: Thursday Preview

Tomorrow’s sessions will examine global power dynamics in tobacco control, including a panel on “philanthro-colonialism” and the growing public backlash in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Experts will also analyze why anti-smoking groups oppose harm reduction despite historic declines in smoking.

Media

Stream the conference LIVE here. All media queries should be sent to Kara@protectingtaxpayers.org.

The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is organizing a rapid response and fact checking conference in Geneva, Switzerland as the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) meets for their biennial Conference of the Parties (Bad COP) to discuss tobacco-related issues. TPA’s event “Conference of the People (Good COP)” brings in experts and consumers, often ignored by WHO, to be heard during the discussion of tobacco and tobacco harm reduction. The Conference of the People (Good COP) is a launch vehicle for a broader coalition of taxpayer, free market, and harm reduction organizations to counter the message from the FCTC Secretariat and specifically address issues brought forth at COP. Currently, there is no cohesive, organized message to balance the misinformation stemming from the WHO and institutions under the auspices of the FCTC.