Global projects
Article 5 of the WHO FCTC lays down as General Obligations the following:
- "Each Party shall develop, implement, periodically update and review comprehensive multisectoral national tobacco control strategies, plans and programmes in accordance with this Convention and the protocols to which it is a Party.
- Towards this end, each Party shall, in accordance with its capabilities:
- establish or reinforce and finance a national coordinating mechanism or focal points for tobacco control; and
- adopt and implement effective legislative, executive, administrative and/or other measures and cooperate, as appropriate, with other Parties in developing appropriate policies for preventing and reducing tobacco consumption, nicotine addiction and exposure to tobacco smoke.
- In setting and implementing their public health policies with respect to tobacco control, Parties shall act to protect these policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry in accordance with national law.
- The Parties shall cooperate in the formulation of proposed measures, procedures and guidelines for the implementation of the Convention and the protocols to which they are Parties.
- The Parties shall cooperate, as appropriate, with competent international and regional intergovernmental organizations and other bodies to achieve the objectives of the Convention and the protocols to which they are Parties.
- The Parties shall, within means and resources at their disposal, cooperate to raise financial resources for effective implementation of the Convention through bilateral and multilateral funding mechanisms."
1. Role of the World Health Organization in strengthening national capacity for tobacco control
- to co-ordinate global expertise
- to facilitate assistance to comprehensive tobacco control efforts at national level
- to assist the implementation of effective national tobacco control strategies
- to promote partnerships with governments and civil society
Seed grants are provided by the Tobacco Free Initiative to selected countries in the different WHO Regions, to enable them to initiate/strengthen the national tobacco control process.
2. Key components of national capacity building projects
The projects being supported essentially incorporate the strategies for strengthening national capacity for tobacco control.
The Ministries of Health and other government agencies agree with the idea that the efforts need to be sustained once the funding is over. Incorporation of project activities into the national public health agenda is another important component of the project proposals.
3. List of countries where national capacity building projects through TFI seed grants are ongoing/complete
| WHO region | Countries |
| African Region | Mozambique |
| Eastern Mediterranean Region | Djibouti, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen |
| Region of the Americas | Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay |
| South-East Asia Region | Bangladesh, East Timor |
| Western Pacific Region | Laos, Mongolia, Philippines, Samoa, Vietnam |