The 2025 World Conference on Tobacco Control (WCoTC) is the largest global gathering of tobacco control advocates since the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2018 conference in Cape Town
Over 1,300 delegates from more than 100 countries attended the conference, which was organized by The Union and WHO with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies. It took place from June 23–25, 2025, at the Convention Center in Dublin, Ireland. MWECS participated in the conference through a scholarship opportunity provided by Vital Strategies. During the opening ceremony and welcome reception, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom delivered a powerful address, emphasizing that “strong policies have saved millions of lives, and millions of young people have been spared tobacco addiction. No matter how packaged it is, tobacco kills. We have the tools to prevent these deaths, and let’s use them.” He also proudly recognized Ethiopia as one of the seven countries globally on track to fully implement all MPOWER strategies.
This support arrives at a crucial moment, and we are deeply grateful to the Sheraton Addis team for their continued contributions. Last Christmas, their visit brought immense joy to our children through treats, cakes, and beautiful dolls. Additionally, Sheraton has partnered with us over the years for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and has graciously allowed us to place donation boxes on their premises.
Over the three days stay, approximately 87 sessions were held, including workshops, plenary discussions, oral and e-poster abstract presentations, symposiums, youth-focused sessions, and awards ceremonies. During the ceremony, Michael Bloomberg pledged an additional USD 20 million to further reduce global tobacco use in the coming years.
Overall, the conference featured several major events, including the launch of CTFK’s Budget Advocacy Toolkit, the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the WHO FCTC, and the release of WHO’s 2025 Global Tobacco Epidemic Report, which highlighted significant progress: 155 countries have now implemented at least one best practice tobacco control policy, protecting over 6.1 billion people compared to just 1 billion in 2007.
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