Background and challenges to implementation:
An estimated 350 million users of Smokeless Tobacco (SLT) are spread worldwide, across 133 countries. The South-East Asian Region (SEAR) has a major epidemic of SLT use, with largest number of users residing in India and Bangladesh. Although prevalence of SLT use has also been reported in high income countries including USA and in Europe, the major chunk of SLT users reside in low and medium income countries. Knowledge about SLT products is minimal.

Intervention or response:
Considering this epidemic of SLT in the SEAR, the WHO-Framework of Convention of Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) established a Global Knowledge Hub on SLT (GKH SLT) at the Indian Council of Medical Research - National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, (ICMR-NICPR) at Noida India. The mandate of the hub included:
a) Generate knowledge, share expertise and information on SLT through a web portal.
b) Assist Parties of the Convention to develop programs and policies.
c) Support the Convention Secretariat in its work to promote control of SLT use globally.

Results and lessons learnt:
The work of the hub has succeeded in generating expertise, information and knowledge through factsheets, guidelines and recommendations as well as a newly developed searchable web portal (http://untobaccocontrol.org/kh/smokeless-tobacco/),thus disseminating the requisite information encompassing health effects and other aspects of prevention and control of SLT as well as social media communications.In the last year, the GKH-SLT has conducted an “Inter Country Meeting on SLT Control Policies” and two training workshops for health professionals. Lessons learnt included need for wider dissemination and developing capacity worldwide.

Conclusions and key recommendations:
Recommendations for the future includework on profiling of new SLT products, coordination with testing laboratories, collaborative projects and information dissemination through workshops. The hub should be developed as a global nerve centre for SLT control and strengthened by all stakeholders.