On this World No Tobacco Day, the Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET) stands UNITED with the global community to combat one of the most pressing challenges: "Protecting children from tobacco industry interference."  As the Eastern Mediterranean Region tracks a concerning slower-than-expected decrease in tobacco use- only a projected 20% reduction by 2025, compared to the global average of 25%- it is clear that that the tobacco industry views our region as a lucrative market ripe for exploitation. The region faces significant challenges due to aggressive expansion tactics, including the acquisition of local companies and intensified product sales efforts.

Our region's children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable. The tobacco industry employs sophisticated marketing strategies and predatory tactics designed to hook young people early, with studies indicating that adolescents can become addicted after smoking just a few cigarettes. Such aggressive marketing tactics are increasingly prevalent on social media, where influencers and sponsored contests make tobacco products appealing to the youth.

Alarmingly, the tobacco industry's strategies to attract new users, especially adolescents, are compounded by a lack of stringent regulatory frameworks in many countries within our region. Most governments have yet to adopt or fully implement Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). This critical policy provides guidelines to protect public health policies from the vested interests of the tobacco industry, recommending measures such as establishing a code of conduct for public officials and mandating transparency in tobacco lobbying and marketing activities.