{"id":6374,"date":"2025-07-29T03:17:46","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T07:17:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/?p=6374"},"modified":"2025-07-29T03:17:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T07:17:46","slug":"cop11-agenda-confirms-whos-hostility-towards-harm-reduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/en_gb\/cop11-agenda-confirms-whos-hostility-towards-harm-reduction\/","title":{"rendered":"COP11 Agenda Confirms WHO&#8217;s Hostility Towards Harm Reduction"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">29 July 2025 \u2013 The preliminary <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/fctc.who.int\/resources\/publications\/i\/item\/fctc-cop-11-1-provisional-agenda\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">agenda<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for COP11 confirms that instead of facilitating a balanced, science-led discussion on how to reduce smoking-related deaths, the WHO and FCTC Secretariat have opted for an ideologically charged and exclusionary approach.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agenda item 4.5 frames harm reduction as an industry plot rather than a legitimate, evidence-based public health strategy. The use of quotation marks around \u201charm reduction\u201d signals clear political bias and delegitimises the very concept before any debate has taken place.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers\u2019 Alliance, commented:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe approach at COP11 is a deliberate attempt to shut down real debate. By labelling harm reduction as a narrative of the tobacco industry, they dismiss proven solutions and silence millions of ex-smokers whose lives have improved thanks to safer alternatives. This isn\u2019t responsible policymaking.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The agenda refers to Article 5.2(b) of the FCTC as a legal basis to address harm reduction, even though this article makes no mention of the concept. This is in stark contrast to Article 1(d), where harm reduction is explicitly named as one of the three pillars of tobacco control, alongside supply and demand reduction. Avoiding Article 1(d) is a calculated attempt to suppress open dialogue and restrict the scope of debate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even more concerning, country-driven proposals to encourage discussion on harm reduction (such as a working group request previously submitted by Saint Kitts and Nevis) were completely omitted from the agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At COP10, several countries\u2014including New Zealand, the Philippines, Guyana and Armenia\u2014called for an evidence-based discussion on harm reduction. Their interventions were science-based and supportive of alternatives to smoking. Yet the current agenda ignores this diversity and frames the topic as a threat rather than an opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWith the success stories of countries like Sweden, the UK, New Zealand, and Japan, there\u2019s no excuse for such a hostile attitude towards innovation and progress,\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> added Landl. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMillions of lives are at stake, and the WHO continues to cling to outdated dogma. This agenda is not science-driven, it\u2019s propaganda-driven.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact:<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Michael Landl, Director<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">World Vapers\u2019 Alliance<br \/>\n<\/span><a href=\"mailto:michael@worldvapersalliance.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">michael@worldvapersalliance.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>About the World Vapers\u2019 Alliance\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The World Vapers\u2019 Alliance amplifies the voices of vapers worldwide and advocates for sensible harm reduction policies that help smokers quit and save lives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>29 July 2025 \u2013 The preliminary agenda for COP11 confirms that instead of facilitating a balanced, science-led discussion on how to reduce smoking-related deaths, the WHO and FCTC Secretariat have opted for an ideologically charged and exclusionary approach. Agenda item 4.5 frames harm reduction as an industry plot rather than a legitimate, evidence-based public health [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>COP11 Agenda Confirms WHO&#039;s Hostility Towards Harm Reduction - World Vapers&#039; Alliance<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/en_gb\/cop11-agenda-confirms-whos-hostility-towards-harm-reduction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"COP11 Agenda Confirms WHO&#039;s Hostility Towards Harm Reduction - World Vapers&#039; Alliance\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"29 July 2025 \u2013 The preliminary agenda for COP11 confirms that instead of facilitating a balanced, science-led discussion on how to reduce smoking-related deaths, the WHO and FCTC Secretariat have opted for an ideologically charged and exclusionary approach. 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