Tobacco Use Kills More People Worldwide than HIV, TB and Malaria Combined

"The international community has very few opportunities to protect the world's population from a cause of massive ill health and premature death. Tobacco control is unquestionably the greatest of these opportunities, and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control seizes this opportunity."

- Margaret Chan, Director-General, WHO 

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is the world's foremost tobacco control instrument. The first treaty ever negotiated under the auspices of WHO, it represents a signal achievement in the advancement of public health.

Countries that adopt the treaty commit to a number of policy and regulatory actions that have been proven to reduce tobacco use and improve public health, such as bans on tobacco advertising, warning labels on tobacco products, prohibiting tobacco sales to minors and protecting people from secondhand smoke.

CDC plays a critical role in helping countries meet the requirements outlined by the treaty. Working with international partners, CDC has created global tobacco surveillance systems that help countries monitor tobacco use among children and adults, exposure to second-hand smoke, quit attempts and the effectiveness of tobacco control measures.

Through grants from Bloomberg Philanthropies and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the CDC Foundation supports CDC's work on the Global Adult Tobacco Survey.