International Youth Day 2026 open letter to governments

12 August 2026

To: Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization; Andrew Black, Acting Head, WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Secretariat; Amb. Andranik Hovhannisyan, Chair, United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs; António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations; Inger Andersen, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme; Catherine Russell, Executive Director, United Nations Children's Fund; and His Excellency President William Samoei Ruto.

Dear leaders and decision-makers,

On International Youth Day, we write as Global Youth Voices, a movement of youth organizations and coalitions spanning more than 135 countries with an important message that affects our generation. We are being aggressively targeted by a big, powerful and harmful industry – the tobacco industry - that continually reinvents how addiction is designed, promoted, and normalized. We are also the generation that will live longest with the health, environmental, economic, and human rights consequences of the decisions you make now.

The tobacco and nicotine industry’s tactics evolve faster than policies that control them. Flavors, sleek devices, influencer content, sports and entertainment sponsorships, digital promotion, and carefully branded “sustainability” initiatives all serve the same business objective: recruit and addict new consumers.

This year brings a clear test of public leadership. A global scientific assessment of nicotine has been triggered at the World Health Organization (WHO), while governments begin carrying out recent WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) decisions on liability, environmental harm and forward-looking tobacco control. These processes have different mandates, but they face the same question: will public institutions protect young people faster than the industry can adapt?

The industry is recruiting its next generation of customers. Governments must protect the current generation and ensure the future generation is free from addiction. We therefore call on every institution, within its mandate, to act on four priorities:

•Stop the pipeline to addiction. Ban novel recreational addictive tobacco and nicotine products. Where bans have not been adopted, apply and enforce the strongest possible restrictions, including bans on flavors, youth-oriented design, access and all advertising, promotion and sponsorship across digital media, influencers, sports, entertainment and emerging technology environments.

•Make the industry pay. Put liability and the polluter-pays principle into practice through levies, fees, penalties, compensation and remediation for health, environmental and economic harms. Do not reward the industry with influence or legitimacy through corporate social responsibility, recycling or extended producer responsibility schemes.

•Protect policy from tobacco industry interference. Apply WHO FCTC Article 5.3, disclose interactions and limit them to those strictly necessary, manage conflicts of interest and reject industry funding. Establish formal, adequately supported ways for independent young people to shape, monitor and evaluate the policies that determine our future.

•Keep nicotine science independent. Ensure the WHO review is rigorous, transparent and free from tobacco and nicotine industry influence, including influence exercised through funded researchers, front groups or other proxies. It must fully examine dependence, youth impacts, product design and population-level consequences.

By the end of 2026, we ask governments and international institutions to publish the concrete steps they will take on these priorities and explain how independent youth voices will help shape and monitor them. We will measure commitment by outcomes, not invitations, slogans or voluntary promises.

The choice is clear: burden young people and make us pay with our health and future, or make the tobacco industry pay for the harm it causes us. Choose accountability. Choose our future.


Signed by spokespersons of the Global Youth Voices:

1.Lisa Lu, International Youth Tobacco Control
2.Sama Ghozlan, International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation
3.Karina Mocanu, European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention Next (ENSPNext)
4.Sarah Rauzana, ASEAN Youth Organization
5.Juan Palacio, Alianza Juvenil por el Bienestar y Desarrollo
6.Ana Paula Ramis Aguilar, Red Internacional de Promotores ODS
7.Mehrbanoo Hosseinirad, Iranian Medical Students Association
8.David Delos Santos, Healthy Philippines Alliance Youth Network
9.Lesego Mateme, South African Tobacco-Free Youth Forum
10.Yvette Mbewe, Zambia Heart and Stroke Foundation
11.Gene Gesite Jr., Global Youth Voices

About the Global Youth Voices
This letter was coordinated by the Global Youth Voices (GYV). GYV is a movement that represents over 70 youth organizations and coalitions covering 135 countries across the globe that seeks to make the tobacco industry pay for the harms caused to the planet and its people, not only for those in this generation, but also future generations. In May 2024, GYV adopted the GYV Declaration, which sets out its common demands on tobacco industry interference, addictive products, environmental harm and accountability. Youth concerns were later brought into global media through The New York Times feature, Uncovering the Truths Behind the Tobacco Industry’s Deception. GYV messages have also been amplified by the World Health Organization and the WHO FCTC Secretariat, including at COP10, where GYV became the first youth movement to address the Conference of the Parties. GYV is convened by the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control.

Participating Youth Organizations of the Global Youth Voices Movement:
1.#MentalHealthPH, Philippines
2.3600 Infinitum MTB, Bolivia
3.A Non Smoking Generation, Sweden
4.Ahli Parlimen Belia Malaysia, Malaysia
5.Alianza Juvenil Antitabaco, Ecuador
6.Alianza Juvenil por el Bienestar y Desarrollo, Latin America,
7.ASEAN Youth Organization (AYO), Southeast Asia
8.Asian Medical Students' Association (AMSA) Philippines
9.Asian Medical Students’ Association Hong Kong (AMSAHK)
10.Asociación de Estudiantes Escuela de Medicina Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
11.Bangladesh Medical Students' Society (BMSS)
12.BEEs' Club, Thailand
13.Champions for Humanity and National Governance Empowerment, Kenya
14.Child Rights Network, Philippines
15.Den of Hope, Kenya
16.Ecopeace Teen Café
17.Education Against Tobacco Brazil
18.European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention Youth Group (ENSPNext)
19.Federation of Junior Chapters of the Philippine Pharmacists' Association
20.FOS Open Scouting, Belgium
21.Global Youth Biodiversity Network Venezuela
22.Global Youth for Tobacco Control (Y4TC)
23.Global Youth Meet on Health 2021 (GYM)
24.Green for Sudan
25.Green Speaking
26.Healthy Philippines Alliance Youth Network
27.IGUAL, Bolivia
28.Indonesian Youth Council for Tactical Changes (IYCTC)
29.Interact Club La Paz Sur, Bolivia
30.International African Youth, Mental Health and Environmental Initiatives, Kenya
31.International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA)
32.International Helping for the Young, Chad
33.International Pharmaceutical Students Federation (IPSF)
34.International Youth Tobacco Control
35.Iranian Medical Students' Association (IMSA-Iran)
36.Jaishi Youth Initiative from Ghana
37.Joven Líder Carta de la Tierra, Costa Rica
38.Jóvenes Indígenas y Afrobolivianos de Santa Cruz de la Sierra, JIASC, Bolivia
39.Juventud Unida en Acción, Venezuela
40.M.L Jallow Ecovillage Project The Gambia
41.Marurui Youth Power for a Better Tomorrow, Kenya
42.Myanmar Youth Foundation for SDGs
43.New Gen Communicator, Thailand
44.No-More-Tobacco-21st-Century, India
45.Philippine Smoke-Free Movement Youth
46.Pratyasha Anti-drug's Club, Bangladesh
47.Red Internacional Promotores de ODS (Panamá)
48.Red Internacional Promotores de ODS (RIPO)
49.Red Mundial de Jóvenes Políticos La Paz, Bolivia
50.Refleacciona con Responsabilidad A.C., Mexico
51.Rotaract Club La Paz Sur, Bolivia
52.Royal Health Awareness Society, Jordan
53.San Beda Economics Society, Philippines
54.Sauti ya Mtoto Foundation (Voice of Child Foundation), Tanzania
55.Sociedad Científica de Estudiantes de Medicina de la Universidad Privada Franz Tamayo, Bolivia
56.South African Tobacco Free Youth Forum
57.SPARC, Pakistan
58.Stowelink Foundation, Kenya
59.The Good Society IIUM, Malaysia
60.Tobacco Free Association of Zambia (TOFAZA) Youth Advocates
61.Uasin Gishu County Peace Club of Kenya
62.UNISC International, Japan
63.Vietnam Youth Union (HCYU)
64.Y-ACT (Youth in Action), Africa
65.Yayasan Lentera Anak Indonesia
66.Youth Leaders and Ambassadors’ Network Chad
67.Youth Action Network (YAN), Sri Lanka
68.Youth Advocacy Against Alcohol and Drug (YAADA), Zambia
69.Youth against Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (YADD), Zimbabwe
70.Youth Against Vape, Philippines
71.Youth Council in Action for Nation (YOUTH CAN), Nepal
72.Youth for Mental Health Coalition, Philippines
73.Youth Health Organization (YHO), Europe
74.Youth Help Sierra Leone