•WHO is taking new initiatives to counter the growing problem of tobacco consumption, and one such endeavor is the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which offers a multilateral network for control and regulation. The World Health Assembly adopted the treaty in 2003 and entered into force in 2005.

• Member States that have signed the Convention indicate that they will strive in good faith to ratify, accept, or approve it, and show political commitment not to undermine the objectives set out in it.