BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: No globally recognized technical tool exists to gauge implementation of tobacco control in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). This makes it challenging to monitor and steer progress and hold governments accountable to their tobacco control commitments.
INTERVENTION OR RESPONSE: In 2016, the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) first published the FCTC Scorecard, a weighted scoring tool to quantify FCTC implementation (Articles 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 26), acknowledging progress, identifying policy and implementation gaps for improvement based on the FCTC and its implementation guidelines, and making meaningful cross-country comparisons to facilitate policy diffusion. The scorecard has been expanded to be more comprehensive and more closely aligned with FCTC guidelines.
RESULTS AND IMPACT: Thailand's policy developments, supported by sustainable funding for tobacco control, scored highest among the ten ASEAN Member States (AMS) in 2023, followed closely by Singapore. Indonesia, a non-Party to the WHO FCTC, trails in tobacco control efforts. Most AMS have multisectoral coordinating mechanisms for tobacco control and have national strategies and plans in place; however, adequate funding for tobacco control remains a challenge for many, and most AMS have either declined or stagnated in safeguarding their policies from tobacco industry interference. Cigarettes remain generally affordable in all AMS. Enforcement of smoke-free policies and advertising bans need to be strengthened to achieve full health benefits, and CSR by tobacco companies in some countries remains unchecked.
Some AMS have acknowledged the scorecard as useful for evaluation and planning.
CONCLUSIONS: The FCTC Scorecard is useful for highlighting policy achievements, monitoring progress, and guiding policy directions in tobacco control. As a civil society advocacy tool, it can complement the government’s implementation reviews. Tools such as these can identify priority areas for implementation assistance and help civil society gauge which areas of cooperation should be pursued with interested governments.