Eastern Mediterranean

Eastern Mediterranean Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2021

While the COVID-19 virus spared no country with its infliction, the tobacco industry exploited the pandemic to increase its business. The Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), like other regions, was not spared and experienced tobacco industry interference which undermined and compromised public health policy. The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) has been monitoring and documenting instances of tobacco industry interference for more than two decades now.1 The countries addressed in this report represent the continuation of these efforts that are much needed for policy makers to make informed decisions on the implementation of Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).