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In October 2000, the International Negotiating Body for the proposed WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) held its inaugural meeting to begin drafting the world’s first public health treaty, which subsequently entered into force in 2005. The treaty’s early implementation coincided with an alarming projection that, left unchecked, one billion people would die from tobacco use by the end of the 21st century.1 Today, the FCTC has 183 Parties, many of which have implemented comprehensive tobacco control measures. The FCTC laid the foundation for a bold, evidence-based and coordinated worldwide effort, which has become a model of success for global health in the 21st century. A recent WHO report lists several tobacco control measures contained in the treaty as ‘best buys’ for reducing chronic disease.2 The concept of such a well-guided, protected and widely adopted treaty may present a valuable opportunity to apply its principles and lessons to strengthen other public health interventions.