Past campaignAugust 2026

Our Future Is Not Their Market

Young people from different contexts unite around shared demands for governments to protect them from tobacco industry interference and addiction, and to make the industry pay for the harms it causes.

About the Campaign

For International Youth Day 2026, GYV brought together youth organizations and coalitions around a common concern: the tobacco industry continues to see young people as its next market. Products and promotional tactics differ across countries, but the need for protection is shared.

Through an open letter, campaign materials and public advocacy, the campaign connected country perspectives with the GYV Declaration. It called on governments and international institutions to turn commitments into action, protect policymaking from tobacco industry interests and hold the industry accountable for the costs it imposes on people and the planet.

Campaign Strategy

Campaign Objectives

Bring youth perspectives from different countries into a shared call for government action.
Strengthen protection against tobacco industry interference and the recruitment of young people into addiction.
Advance financial and legal accountability for tobacco industry harms.

Key Messages

Protect young people from addiction. Ban novel recreational tobacco and nicotine products; where bans are not yet adopted, enforce strong restrictions on products and promotion.
Keep the tobacco industry out of policymaking. Decisions affecting young people must remain independent of industry interests.
Make the industry pay. Governments should use financial and legal measures to recover the costs of tobacco-related harm.
Protect the environment. Address tobacco pollution and reject industry greenwashing that turns environmental initiatives into opportunities for influence.
Keep nicotine science independent. Scientific assessments must be transparent and free from tobacco and nicotine industry influence.

Progress & Updates

This section records campaign outputs, institutional responses, and verified developments as the campaign progresses.

August 7

Youth open letter issued

GYV published its International Youth Day open letter, Protect Young People, Make the Tobacco Industry Pay. It asked governments and international institutions to publish concrete steps by the end of 2026 on preventing addiction, industry accountability, policy protection and independent nicotine science.

August 8

Youth perspectives published in InDepthNews

An opinion article by Gene Gesite Jr., Juan Herrera, Sama Ghozlan, Sarah Rauzana and Winnie Olwal brought country perspectives into the campaign’s call for government action.

August 12

Institutional acknowledgments and amplification

The WHO Director-General and the Head of the WHO FCTC Secretariat acknowledged the letter. The Secretariat drew on it in its International Youth Day communications and invited GYV to collaborate on an Instagram post. The letter was also sent to the UN Secretary-General, UNEP, UNICEF and the Chair of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs.

August 12

Country outreach and campaign dissemination

Participating organizations in Costa Rica and the Philippines sent the letter to government officials and offices.