Staff Reporter : Bangladesh is the first and only country in Asia that has classified cigarette filters as “single-use plastic (SUP)”. This timely decision was adopted as a move towards implementing Article 18 of the WHO FCTC, which addresses the issue of environmental protection in tobacco production and manufacturing during the Conference of the Parties (COP)-10. At COP-11, held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 17-22 November 2025, the Bangladesh Government delegation presented its achievements on this issue and reaffirmed its commitment in ensuring law amendment as well as bolstering overall tobacco control efforts. These observations were made today (14 December 2025, Sunday) during a webinar titled “Translating WHO FCTC COP Decisions into Action in Bangladesh: A Case Study”, an event jointly organized by PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) and Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA).
During the Webinar, anti-tobacco activists who attended previous COPs expressed their experience and opinions. Discussants also urged all stakeholders to work together to ensure implementation of COP-11 decisions. Tobacco is one of the major contributing factors to cancer, stroke, cardiovascular, and lung diseases which claim around 130,000 lives each year in Bangladesh. A recent study reveals that the toll on public health and environment inflicted by tobacco use and production causes the national economy a loss of BDT 87,000 crore which is more than twice the size of revenue generated from tobacco sector.
The government has already taken the initiative to amend the tobacco control law to make it more in line with WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The longer it takes for our policymakers to amend the tobacco control law, the higher tobacco’s toll on public health, environment and economy gets. Against this backdrop, speakers urged the government to ensure quick finalization of the draft of the amendment of tobacco control law.
Among the discussants of the event were Md. Mostafizur Rahman, former Chairman of BCIC; Saifuddin Ahmed, Executive Director of WBB Trust; Iqbal Masud, Director (Health and Wash), Dhaka Ahsania Mission; Syed Mahbubul Alam, Senior Technical Advisor, Vital Strategies, Bangladesh; and Mizan Chowdhury, Co-convener, Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA). Mortuza Haider Liton, Convener, ATMA delivered the welcome speech. The webinar was presided over by ABM Zubair, Executive Director of PROGGA, and hosted by Rokaiya Abdullah Raka, Program Officer, whereas Hasan Shahriar, Head of Programs presented the keynote.
