India to preside next edition of COP7 in Geneva in 2018

The eighth edition of the Conference of Parties (COP7) to WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) will be held in Switzerland's Geneva under the presidency of India.

The global anti-tobacco conference is likely to be held in the later part of 2018.

"India will preside the eighth edition of the Convention of Parties of WHO which will be held in Geneva," said a senior official from the Health Ministry.

The World Health Organisations Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is the world's biggest convention to frame the anti-tobacco policies.

According to FCTC website, the COP elects at each regular session its President as well as five vice-presidents. These officers, each representing a WHO region, constitute the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties.

According to Rule 21 of the Rules of Procedure of the COP, they shall commence their term of office at the closure of the session and shall serve until the closure of the following regular session of the Conference of the Parties, including for any intervening extraordinary session, the website said.

The Seventh Session of COP7 to WHO FCTC was hosted by India for the first time and culminated on Saturday.

About 1,500 delegates participated in the conference from around 180 countries along with other observers in official relations with the WHO FCTC Secretariat in Geneva.