International negotiations aimed at curbing the illegal tobacco market concluded this week with renewed commitments to cooperation and enforcement. Delegates from 60 Parties gathered in Geneva from 24-26 November for the Fourth session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP4) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.

Throughout the session, Parties adopted a series of decisions intended to strengthen supply-chain controls, improve international coordination, and increase financial and technical support for implementation. Measures included mapping global data on tobacco seizures in collaboration with the World Customs Organization and UN Office on Drugs and Crime, establishing two new working groups to advance evidence-based research and enhance cooperation on investigations, and encouraging Parties to intensify monitoring and collection of licensing fees to support enforcement.

Andrew Black, Acting Head of the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, underscored the urgency of the issue, calling illicit trade a “polycrime” tied to corruption, money laundering and organized criminal networks. He stressed that the Protocol provides Parties with the tools needed “to slam the door on illicit trade,” and praised delegates for reaching consensus on all proposed decisions.

MOP4 also highlighted strong engagement from non-Party States, signaling growing global interest in eliminating illegal tobacco flows. In a significant development, Vanuatu formally joined the Protocol, becoming its 71st Party.

Closing the session, Black thanked delegates, observers, interpreters and Secretariat staff, emphasizing that the work continues as countries return home to put the strengthened measures into practice. “Together, we will continue to adapt to meet the challenges of an ever-evolving illicit market,” he said.