World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan urged global action on Wednesday to drive tobacco companies “out of business” and hailed progress in tackling smoking in many countries.

Speaking at the World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Abu Dhabi, Chan welcomed steps taken by several countries, led by Australia, to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes. The WHO chief called for similar action by other nations.

The five-day conference aims to prove that tobacco use, in all its forms, is a major contributor to the occurrence of non-communicable disease (NCD)—cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases.