I’m sorry I was not able to attend last week’s session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO FCTC.

[...] I welcome your decision to launch an innovative investment fund to support implementation of the Convention.

I also welcome the Declaration on the WHO FCTC and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, proposed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, and co-sponsored by a broad group of Parties, stressing the need to protect public health policy from the tobacco industry.

While we still have some way to go before we end the pandemic, tobacco control measures must be part of the recovery, particularly increases in tobacco taxes.