The Investment Fund was established by the Ninth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP9) to provide predictable and sustained funding for the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). The objective of the Convention is to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption, and exposure to tobacco smoke. 

Unique as a funding mechanism, the Fund is structured on a capital investment fund, established through long-term interest-free loans, placed into an investment portfolio managed by the World Bank as the Fund Trustee.

The earned interest will support the activities of the WHO FCTC, as directed by the COP, its governing body.  The Fund is independently managed through its trustee, under the guidance of the COP with the support of an independent Oversight Committee, comprised of global experts in investment management.

The WHO FCTC, the first United Nations treaty negotiated under the auspices of the WHO which entered into force in 2005 and remains a milestone in the promotion of public health.