Advocacy organisations in Africa, Latin America, and Asia Pacific— In a united effort, representing millions of adult consumers who use nicotine products that do not involve combustion, they have sent a letter to the Special Rapporteur to the United Nations Human Rights Council. The correspondence addresses recent comments made in a recent report regarding the validity of Tobacco Harm Reduction and urges the United Nations to recognise its importance in promoting public health.

The letter, signed by organisations in Latin America, Africa, and Asia Pacific, highlights the significant impact that THR has had on reducing smoking rates and improving public health in their respective regions. It also emphasises the need for the United Nations to acknowledge and support THR as a legitimate harm reduction strategy, as they have already done with drugs and sex work.

According to the World Health Organisation, tobacco use is responsible for over 8 million deaths each year, with the majority of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

Reducing the harm from tobacco includes the use of alternative nicotine products that have been proven to be an effective tool in reducing the harm caused by traditional combustible cigarettes. The evidence is in reduced smoking rates in the United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, and Sweden. The letter urges the United Nations to take a science-based approach and recognise the validity of THR as a harm reduction strategy. It also calls for the inclusion of THR in the upcoming United Nations High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases, as well as in future tobacco control policies and initiatives.