The Convention Secretariat welcomes Gabon as the third Party to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, following Nicaragua and Uruguay.

On 1 October, H.E. Mrs. Marianne Odette Bibalou Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Gabon deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products at the United Nations in New York.

The Convention Secretariat congratulates Uruguay on becoming the second Party to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. The first protocol to the WHO FCTC was adopted on 12 November 2012 at the fifth session of the Conference of the Parties in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

In accordance with its Article 43, the Protocol was open for signature by all Parties to the WHO FCTC from 10 January 2013 until 9 January 2014. When it was closed for signature, the Protocol had been signed by 53 States and the European Union.

Marisol Touraine, Minister of Social Affairs, Health and Women's Rights of France, announced, on 25 September 2014, a new National Plan for Tobacco Control.  The plan foresees such as:

- Introduction of plain packaging, a ban of smoking in playgrounds and in vehicles if a child of under 12 years of age is present and communication campaigns to strengthen prevention of tobacco use, specifically among the youth;

- Better reimbursement of cessation treatment, stronger involvement of doctors, information campaign on cessation to promote help to smokers who wish to quit;

The Convention Secretariat, together with WHO, the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, conducted a joint needs assessment mission on 8-12 September 2014. This mission was made possible through funding by the European Union.

Meetings were held with senior policy-makers and stakeholders from various Government ministries and United Nations agencies, to discuss achievements and challenges and to identify needs and gaps in implementation of the WHO FCTC.

A team from the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC together with colleagues from WHO's Department for Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases, the WHO Regional Office for the Americas and the United Nations Development Programme visited Jamaica in August 2014 for a joint needs assessment.

A series of meetings were held with more than 100 stakeholders from various Government agencies, civil society, academia, UN and donor organizations, to discuss achievements and challenges and to identify needs and gaps in implementation of the WHO FCTC.

The Albanian National Assembly, on the proposal of the Council of Ministers, adopted amendments to the country's 2006 Act on the « Protection of Health from Tobacco Use ».

The changes were enacted on 23 August 2014.

August 2014 The President of the Philippines signed the Graphic Health Warning Bill (Republic Act 10643: An Act to Effectively Instill Health Consciousness through Graphic Health Warnings on Tobacco Products) into law on 18 July 2014. The law entered into force on 7 August 2014.

JUNE 2014 - The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has presented its action plan "Roadmap towards a Smoke-Free Finland" to eliminate the use of tobacco products in the country by the end of the year 2040. The plan includes measures both to prevent people from starting to smoke and to help smokers give up the habit.

The plan envisages the introduction of strong tobacco control policies, in line with the requirements of the WHO FCTC and related implementation guidelines, where appropriate, including:

JUNE 2014 - On 8 March 2013, Thailand's Minister of Health, Dr Pradith Sinthawanarong, signed new regulations that require graphic health warnings to cover at least 85% of both sides of cigarette packages, up from 55%. However, implementation of the measures was held up as a result of a legal challenge initiated by three major international tobacco companies, which resulted in an injunction to that effect issued by the Central Administrative Court in August 2013.