A webinar was successfully held on 29th May 2025 to commemorate World No Tobacco Day. It was organised by the WHO Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3 in partnership with the Centre for Combating Tobacco (CCT), the Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research and the Observatory on strategies of the tobacco industry, the tobacco observatories of Sri Lanka, South Africa and Brazil

Dr Vera da Costa E Silva, the former head of the Secretariat of FCTC, briefly explained the role played by the FCTC in past 20 years in reducing tobacco use, saving lives, and protecting public health policies from the influence of the tobacco industry. Professor Stella Bialous, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, presented how FCTC Article 5.3 remains a cornerstone, progress made in implementation in past years and the way forward.

Following the presentations, the barriers and solutions to protecting public health policies from tobacco industry interference were discussed in breakout rooms. Dr. Manuja Perera, Editor/TobaccoUnmasked, represented the Centre for Combating Tobacco in the event as a facilitator in a breakout room. Professor Nuntavarn Vichit-Vadakan (Director WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3), Professor Lekan Ayo-Yusuf (Director, Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research (ATIM), Dr. Ye Htut Oo (Researcher, WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3), Luis Guilherme Lemos Hasselmann (Journalist, Centre for Studies on Tobacco and Health), Le Thu Huong (Communication Consultant, WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3), Worrawan Jirathanapiwat (Consultant, WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3) and Sophapan Ratanachena-McWhortor (Program Associate, WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3) were the other facilitators of the session.

Global youth tobacco advocates; Mr. Bonede Thato Mmako, Tshwane Regional Ambassador at South African Tobacco Free Youth Forum (SATFYF), Ms. Andrea Herrera Rivera, lawyer, legislative advisor in the Regional Government of Arequipa, and Mr. Judy Delos Reyes, Youth leader of Philippines were contributed to the panel discussion on tobacco control challenges facing youth and the vision for tobacco control for next 20 years.

Dr. Douglas Bettcher, Senior Advisor, WHO explained the evolving strategies and the endgame of the tobacco industry. Professor Nuntavarn Vichit-Vadakan, Director WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3 concluded the webinar with closing remarks for the call to action.