Gro Harlem Brundtland, director-general of WHO, said voluntary controls on advertising by tobacco firms have failed to reduce youth smoking. "We have seen no evidence that tobacco companies are capable of self-regulation," he said.

Instead, Brundtland said tobacco companies have launched new global public-relations campaigns to persuade governments to move away from tighter controls.

For instance, British American Tobacco has joined with Philip Morris and Japan Tobacco for a new global campaign called "International Tobacco Product-Marketing Standards." Under the initiative, the companies have agreed to voluntarily adopt measures to prevent advertising from being directed at nonsmokers, especially the young.

"They are calling on governments, the United Nations and the World Bank to put their faith in a 'new initiative' that is neither new nor effective," WHO said in a statement. "Global experience often shows that partial bans on advertising and sponsorship produce partial results."

According to the United Nations health agency, youth smoking rates have increased worldwide, with no country having success with developing regulations that prevent children's exposure to tobacco advertising.

"It is impossible for advertising to differentiate between a 19-year-old and a 17-year-old," WHO stated. "Tobacco advertising nominally aimed at 18- to 24-year-olds is especially attractive to younger teenagers aspiring to enter this age group."

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