Last week, Zambia joined countries around the world at COP11, the Conference of the Partes to the WHO Framework Conventon on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The meetng came at a tme when global evidence on the harms of tobacco — and the policies that effectively reduce them — has never been clearer. For Zambia, COP11 should be an opportunity to demonstrate renewed commitment to protecting public health. Yet this year’s contributions told a different story: one of muted effort, limited ambition, and a continued reluctance to confront an industry whose products claim more than 7,000 Zambian lives each year.