Challenges

The International Cooperation Center on Tobacco Control (CCICT) of Uruguay is one of the Knowledge Hubs approved by the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Knowledge Hubs were established in 2014 as an initiative of the WHO FCTC with the goal of strengthening international collaboration in the fight against tobacco use. That same year, Uruguay was designated as a Knowledge Hub, selected from among several applicants (including Brazil and Mexico). Following the reorganization of work after the pandemic, it was decided to place greater emphasis on measures related to tobacco dependence and cessation. To reflect this new focus, the Center\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s name was changed and, starting in 2024, it will be called the “WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub on International Cooperation for Smoke-Free Environments and Tobacco Cessation.”

Toward a Solution

The International Cooperation Center on Tobacco Control (CCICT) is a cooperation instrument that works in coordination with the FCTC Secretariat to address the cooperation needs of the Parties through technical assistance and collaboration with all countries, as well as national and international institutions in the Americas and around the world, in the implementation of tobacco control measures and the application of the FCTC. The CCICT provides cooperation to countries that request it, particularly FCTC Parties, but it also acts proactively by offering assistance. The establishment of the CCICT in Uruguay was part of the international recognition of the country\\\\\\\’s achievements in developing and implementing tobacco control policies and the FCTC, as well as its commitment to protecting these policies. The vision of the CCICT is to serve as an instrument that contributes to the highest level of FCTC implementation globally, thereby continuously and substantially reducing the prevalence of tobacco use, exposure to tobacco smoke, and their health, economic, and environmental consequences. Not all countries, especially those in development, have the necessary capacities and resources to implement the provisions of the FCTC, which is a binding treaty. These cooperation practices have invigorated processes, improving the involved institutions and being recognized and valued by all cooperation recipients. Innovative aspects in health, such as the creation of informal regional working groups that bring together representatives from governments, civil society, and intergovernmental organizations from countries most committed to tobacco control policies, are among these practices. These groups support each other and agree on regional positions on tobacco control policies, with a view to future meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the FCTC, as well as the Meetings of the Parties (MOP) of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. The cooperation provided by the CCICT is aimed at helping developing countries, especially the most vulnerable ones, to address existing challenges in implementing tobacco control policies and to exercise greater control over tobacco industry interference in their implementation. Over these 7 years, the Center has provided cooperation to countries in the Americas and other regions of the world that requested it, but it has also served as a coordination hub for cooperation between countries and with intergovernmental organizations, such as UNDP and the FCTC COP itself. The CCICT has demonstrated its potential to cooperate in various ways and to address diverse issues related to both the WHO FCTC and the Illicit Trade Protocol.