WHO AFRO Strengthens Legal Capacity for Tobacco Control Through Advanced Training Pa...

Melbourne, Australia - 23-27 March 2025 - The WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) continues to deepen its longstanding collaboration with the McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer, advancing legal capacity to support tobacco control across the Region. Since the partnership began in 2014, the McCabe Centre has trained 50 lawyers from the WHO African Region who have played a pivotal role in strengthening national tobacco control legislation and defending governments against legal challenges brought by the tobacco industry.

These lawyers have provided expert legal support to Member States as they develop and implement comprehensive tobacco control laws and regulations. Their efforts have contributed to defending governments in landmark litigation, as seen in Uganda and Kenya and in countering threats of litigation in several other countries. The partnership has significantly supported Member States in fulfilling their obligations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and in addressing emerging challenges posed by new nicotine and tobacco products.

WHO AFRO has been actively involved in this capacity-building initiative, consistently contributing legal and public health expertise to McCabe Centre trainings. AFRO's technical experts serve as resource persons during residential courses in Melbourne and mentor participants as they apply their new knowledge within their country contexts.

Against this backdrop, the McCabe Centre convened an Advanced Workshop on Law and Tobacco Control in Melbourne, Australia, from 23-27 March 2026. The face-to-face workshop provided a practical and interactive platform for participants to engage in complex and emerging legal issues in tobacco control. Two WHO AFRO experts, one legal and one public health-co-led thematic sessions and guided discussions throughout the week.

The five-day programme included expert presentations, group exercises, peer learning and real-world case studies. Key thematic areas covered included:

• Global overview of WHO FCTC implementation and key outcomes of COP11/MOP4
• Addressing tobacco industry interference under WHO FCTC Article 5.3
• Regulation of e-cigarettes and emerging nicotine products
• Forward-looking tobacco control measures
• Enforcement strategies for tobacco control and vaping laws, including in digital environments
• Regional discussions on priority needs
• Recent litigation and legal challenges
• Cross-border regulation of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS)
• Practical approaches to implementing tobacco control legislation

Key Outcomes

The workshop produced several concrete achievements that will further strengthen tobacco control efforts across the Region and globally:

• Enhanced technical capacity: Forty legal and public health professionals from the global south, including five from the WHO African Region were equipped with advanced skills to support the drafting, implementation and enforcement of tobacco control laws in their home countries.
• Strengthened sharing of legal strategies: Participants exchanged legislative innovations, judicial experiences and regulatory approaches to address both national and subnational tobacco control challenges.
• Creation of a network of legal experts: The workshop established a professional network of lawyers to provide continued support to countries working on tobacco control legislation and implementation.
• Bilateral engagements with AFRO Member States: WHO AFRO experts held targeted discussions with participants from the African Region to identify tailored actions that can accelerate the adoption and enforcement of tobacco control laws in their jurisdictions.

The continued collaboration between WHO AFRO and the McCabe Centre underscores the importance of legal capacity in achieving sustained progress against the tobacco epidemic. Strengthened legal frameworks remain essential to protecting public health and ensuring that tobacco control measures withstand industry interference.