Tobacco cessation consortium

The latest innovation in tobacco control

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The challenge in numbers

1.3 billion tobacco users globally

8 million deaths from tobacco every year

60% of tobacco users want to quit

30% of tobacco users have tools to quit

Aspiring for a tobacco-free future

To support tobacco users to quit for good, the Cessation Consortium:

Contributes to accomplishing WHO’s thirteenth General Programme of Work.

Scales-up innovations to support WHO’s new target of reaching 5 million people with health innovations.
Improves the epidemiological situation globally – tobacco control is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Makes the world a healthier place as we prepare for the next pandemic and prevent high death tolls in the future.

Scaling what we know works

WHO is looking to engage multi-sectoral partners to help us better design services, deliver support, and expand the market for cessation services.

We are looking for innovative, like-minded partners to drive consumer behaviour through user-focused data, products and services.

The Five Pillars: how it works

Delivering products and drugs that work

Challenge: Getting great products and pharmacotherapies into the hands of tobacco users

This working group will help companies solve last mile supply chain issues and make products accessible to all tobacco users by:

easing regulatory barriers to expand markets
supporting countries in procurement of cessation medications through WHO and other existing procurement mechanisms at a price the community and the individual can afford
raising awareness on benefits of pharmacotherapies as cessation aids.

Speaking to people in power & advocating for cessation

Challenge: Speaking to people in power and making the case for public health

This working group will help partners fight the tobacco industry’s vested interests, drive behaviour change and help tobacco users quit for good. It will show how tobacco control supports broader sustainable development, and support select countries in developing national investment cases to show that investing in cessation has a high return on investment.

Getting people cessation support in their health systems

Challenge: Designing better health services for tobacco users

This working group will collaborate to increase the reach of tried and tested cessation services. We will support health care professionals in helping tobacco users quit, strengthen behaviour-change techniques and provide training in specialised dependence treatments.

Identifying new innovations & research ideas

Challenge: Identifying new innovations and research ideas in digital products and services

This working group will run challenges, lead research, and work with best academics in the world. With support from renowned research institutions and universities, this working group will focus specifically on pharma-related research and making nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) more appealing to tobacco users. We will develop case studies and success stories, share experiences, and scale good products and innovations.

Reaching people through digital solutions & technology

Challenge: Understanding the needs of tobacco users, improving and iterating digital services

This working group will evaluate and scale existing digital cessation tools and identify new tools and channels to reach tobacco users.

We will assess the tobacco cessation app market and accredit effective apps. Additionally, this working group will test and improve existing content libraries by segmenting our target audiences and tailoring content for each.

What role can you play?

WHO will serve as the convening body – bringing together working groups and ensuring that we are delivering on ”best buy” population interventions to support tobacco users to quit.

Partners can support:

the advancement of the workstreams that align with their technical area of expertise;
the costs of convening of working groups; and
the delivery of grants to NGOs, governments and more who contribute to these workstreams.