ABSTRACT
This chapter takes the story of tobacco control from a UK regional tobacco control platform on to a significant global stage. The World Health Organization (WHO)’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is the first global health treaty ever negotiated by the WHO. Since its inauguration in 2005, it has been one of the fastest growing treaties in the history of the United Nations, with over 180 signatories representing more than 90 per cent of the world’s population. Every two years the Convention Secretariat, based in Geneva, organizes a Conference of the Parties (COP). The chapter focuses on attending four of the biennial COPs from 2010 to 2016. Each COP took place in a different part of the world – Uruguay, Korea, Russia and India. The chapter ends with a visit to Respira Uruguay and considers the extent to which its success is contextual to its place and the creativity of its designers.
