Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (October 28, 2025). Happening from November 17th to November 22nd, the Eleventh Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is around the corner, and Trinidad and Tobago has an unprecedented opportunity to embrace innovation and lead the Caribbean in the fight against against smoking.
The country’s potential led the We Are Innovation global network to organize a conference in Port of Spain, aiming to highlight the importance that Innovative Nicotine Products (INPs) can have in the creation of a smoke free society. The event was named “Innovation Pathways: T&T Leadership for a Smoke-Free Future” and gathered advocates, public health experts, and public officials.
The first expert to speak was Ingid Dragan Taricano (BRA), a distinguished toxicologist and pharmacologist with over four decades of expertise in drug safety and regulatory science. Taricano shared her insights on the topic “Tobacco Harm Reduction: Toxicology Review”, presenting information on the toxicological composition of cigarettes and Innovative Nicotine Products and its impacts on the human body. She also explained the particularities of nicotine, highlighting that it can be found in certain fruits and vegetables and that it is already being used to treat diseases such as Ulcerative Colitis and Parkinson’s. According to Taricano: “Nicotine is not a demon. A very big misconception surrounding it is the idea that it causes cancer. It is wrong – nicotine is an addictive molecule, but not an oncogenic one. The problem is the tar. Considering the composing substances and the way nicotine is absorbed, Innovative Nicotine Products appear as a safer option to combustion cigarettes. The regulation needs to access this, allowing smokers to switch for these alternatives. It is toxicology – and it is very important to establish rules.”
The second speech was about “COP 11 and the Silenced Voices: Why Regulators Must Listen to Consumers in Nicotine Policy”, and was brought by Miguel Okumura (BRA), an electrical engineer, president of THR Brazil, and vice president of ARDT Iberoamérica. Okumura shared his journey as both an ex-smoker who managed to quit through switching to vaping, and an activist who has been silenced many times on his advocacy for an adequate regulatory framework for INPs. He also explored the consequences of Brazil’s vaping ban, which, instead of reducing smoking, contributed to black market practices involving sales to minors. Okumura comments: “I was a smoker for around 7 years and quit completely after switching to vaping. My case could be considered a public health success if I was born in the UK or Sweden instead of Brazil. Silence does not lead to good policies, dialogue does. It is necessary to create formal channels, differentiate stakeholders and use consumers as real-world data. The consumer voice is not the problem – it is the compass to the solution”.
The next intervention was done by Federico N. Fernández (ARG), on “Saving Lives Through Innovation and Caribbean Leadership”. Fernández displayed Trinidad and Tobago’s current data on smoking, which has been stagnated, and presented real life success cases of countries that were able to watch their smoking rates decline after embracing innovation-oriented policies and championing the accessibility, affordability and acceptability of Innovative Nicotine Products. Fernández shares: “Trinidad and Tobago has a historic opportunity at COP11 to lead the Caribbean toward evidence-based tobacco policy. While our smoking rate remains stuck at 19 percent, countries embracing innovation – like Sweden, the UK, and Japan – have seen dramatic reductions. With Saint Kitts and Nevis and Guyana already advocating for harm reduction, Trinidad and Tobago can build on this Caribbean momentum. At COP11, Trinidad and Tobago can show the region that we choose evidence over ideology and outcomes over outdated approaches.”
The event was moderated by Tetiana Rak (UKR), the Chief Operations Officer of We Are Innovation and included a Q&A session in which the public had the opportunity to engage with the speakers.
Trinidad & Tobago currently faces a smoking rate of 19 percent, with cigarettes being responsible for 5.4 percent of all deaths every year. However, that can change for the better. Through adopting a regulatory framework that guarantees the accessibility, affordability and acceptability of Innovative Nicotine Products, Trinidad can plummet its smoking rates and accelerate its pace towards becoming a smoke-free country. The choice is out there: to keep current policies and accept stagnation or to put innovation in the picture and massively improve public health, both nationally and regionally.
ENDS
ABOUT WE ARE INNOVATION
We Are Innovation is a dynamic network of individuals and institutions who fervently believe in the power of innovation to drive progress and solve the world’s most pressing problems. With a global presence encompassing over 50 think tanks, foundations, and NGOs, We Are Innovation represents the diverse voices of a global civil society committed to advancing human creativity, embracing new technologies, and promoting innovative solutions. Through our collaborative approach and cutting-edge expertise, we are spearheading transformative change on a global scale. To learn more about our work, visit us at https://weareinnovation.global/
