MEDIA TOOLKIT
World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2026
Ahead of WNTD 2026 on the 31st of May, WHO/Europe is pleased to share a new media toolkit for this year’s campaign theme — “Unmasking the appeal: countering nicotine and tobacco addiction”
It focuses on how the industry tries to reboot the market of addiction attracting children and adolescents with novel products and highlights the urgent need for stronger policy action across the WHO European Region.
FACT: The WHO European Region is the global leader in tobacco use
- 40% of all female smokers in the world live in the WHO European Region;
- 4 million adolescents aged 13–15 use tobacco products.
- Girls in the European Region now have the world’s highest tobacco use rates in their age group.
- E-cigarette use among young people in our Region is the highest in the world, affecting about 4.2 million adolescents aged 13-15.
- 173 million adults in the Region use tobacco products;
- Tobacco causes more than 1.2 million deaths across the Region every year.
The WNTD 2026 media toolkit includes:
- A new WHO/Europe WNTD 2026 webpage: key resources, campaign materials and policy messages
- WNTD 2026 Awards: winners from our Region and their contributions to tobacco control;
- The next nicotine revolution is already here: a story exploring how synthetic nicotine and novel nicotine products are shaping the new addiction market (FILE ATTACHED – UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 29 MAY);
- Young people at Project Zero are fighting back against the tobacco industry: a story highlighting youth tobacco control advocates and the growing role of young people in countering nicotine addiction (FILE ATTACHED – UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 29 MAY);
- Big Tobacco is No Longer Selling Cigarettes – It Is Engineering Addiction: A new op-ed by Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, reflecting on the future of tobacco control in Europe and the continued relevance of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
We encourage journalists, editors and media partners to use these materials in your reporting around World No Tobacco Day 2026 and broader tobacco and nicotine control discussions.
For interview requests, expert comments or additional information, please contact the WHO/Europe communications team:
Bhanu Bhatnagar, Press & Media Relations Officer, bbhatnagar@who.int
Aleksandra Olsen, Communications Officer, alolsen@who.int
Veronika D’Anna, Communications Officer, dannav@who.int
Igor Kryuchkov, Communications Consultant, kryuchkovi@who.int