19 May 2025 – The newly published draft United Nations declaration on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) aims to reduce global tobacco users by 150 million by 2030 – an 11.5% reduction from the current 1.3 billion. While this ambition is welcome, the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) warns that the declaration’s reliance on traditional tobacco control measures risks repeating past failures and missing a historic opportunity to accelerate progress through harm reduction.

The draft declaration proposes a familiar package of interventions: higher tobacco taxation, graphic health warnings and plain packaging, comprehensive advertising bans, and stricter regulation of vapes and other safer nicotine alternatives. These approaches have been at the centre of global tobacco control for decades. Yet, despite widespread adoption, global smoking rates remain stubbornly high.

Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, commented:

“The UN’s draft declaration risks missing its targets by clinging to outdated strategies. Embracing harm reduction is the fastest path to a smoke-free future and the most compassionate and effective. The evidence is clear: it’s time for a new direction.”

Instead of doubling down on restrictive measures and further stigmatising less harmful alternatives, the UN must embrace the evidence: harm reduction works, and it works fast.

Sweden is the world’s leading example. By making safer nicotine products like snus, nicotine pouches, and vaping widely accessible and regulating them proportionally to their risk, Sweden has slashed its smoking rate by 55% in just a decade. Today, only 5.3% of Swedes smoke—by far the lowest rate in Europe.

Michael Landl further states:

“Sweden’s success is a clear result of its sensible and science-backed harm reduction approach. Instead of demonising less harmful alternatives, Sweden embraces them and regulates based on risk. This approach has saved countless lives and provides a roadmap for the world. The UN must follow Sweden’s lead if it truly wants to accelerate the fight against smoking and NCDs.”

The UN’s draft declaration risks missing its targets by clinging to outdated strategies. Embracing harm reduction is the fastest path to a smoke-free future and the most compassionate and effective. The evidence is clear: it’s time for a new direction.