For almost 50 years, Luk Joossens has contributed to the different aspects of tobacco control, such as Tobacco Control Scale (described in 2006 in Tobacco Control), smoking cessation, passive smoking, advertising, labelling, taxes, smuggling (more than 160 presentations around the globe), tracking and tracing, tobacco industry tactics, Belgian and EU tobacco control policy, FCTC, Protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products.

Luk Joossens worked closely together with civil society (Framework Convention Alliance, Smoke Free Partnership) and cancer leagues (Europe against Cancer (1988-1995), UICC (strategic leader 2006-2009), ECL (1995-2020) and Belgian Foundation against Cancer (2003-2016). He advised extensively international bodies on tobacco control such as the World Health Organization (from 1990 to 2025), the World Bank, The European Commission and the FCTC secretariat.

In 1991, he received the World Health Organization Commemorative Award and Medal for promoting the concept of tobacco-free societies. In 2006, he received the American Cancer Society “Luther Terry Award” for Outstanding Individual Leadership in Tobacco Control and in 2015 the World Health Organization Director-General’s Special Recognition of Contribution to Global Tobacco Control.