WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: a key milestone

This month marks the fifth anniversary of the entry into force of the World Health Organization Framework Con-vention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). This Convention is unique for two reasons: it is the first international treaty negotiated under WHO’s umbrel-la and with 168 Parties (countries that are either Member States of WHO or the United Nations as well as regional economic integration organizations), it has become one of the most widely and rapidly ratified treaties in the history of the United Nations.In the late 1990s, the global increase in tobacco-related diseases had become a public health challenge that called for radical and creative mea-sures, triggering the first use of WHO’s constitutional treaty-making power. During this decade, the Convention was conceptualized. After three years of ne-gotiation, it was adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2003 and entered into force in February 2005.