What is the importance of the WHO FCTC ?
The WHO FCTC set the roadmap for a minimum set of comprehensive tobacco control measures. But the most important dimension of the WHO FCTC is the transnational one. A country can be successful in implementing its own smoking bans or price increases, but if people can easily have access to cheaper tobacco coming from a neighbouring country that has very different standards on price and tax measures, the objective is not achieved. The Treaty deals with this transnational problems, illicit trade and contraband, and when it enters into force, the countries will have some basic standards to follow. The treaty also sets up a mechanism for international cooperation, with its own governance system.