Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol

During the Sixty-third session of the World Health Assembly, held in Geneva in May 2010, the 193 Member States of WHO reached an historical consensus on a global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol by adopted resolution WHA63.13. The adopted resolution and endorsed strategy gives guidance to both Member States and to the WHO Secretariat on ways to reduce the harmful use of alcohol.

The vision behind the global strategy is improved health and social outcomes for individuals, families and communities, with considerably reduced morbidity and mortality due to harmful use of alcohol and their ensuing social consequences. It is envisaged that the global strategy will promote and support local, regional and global actions to prevent and reduce the harmful use of alcohol.

The global strategy aims to give guidance for action at all levels; to set priority areas for global action; and to recommend a portfolio of policy options and measures that could be considered for implementation and adjusted as appropriate at the national level, taking into account national circumstances, such as religious and cultural contexts, national public health priorities, as well as resources, capacities and capabilities.

Objectives

1. raised global awareness of the magnitude and nature of the health, social and economic problems caused by harmful use of alcohol, and increased commitment by governments to act to address the harmful use of alcohol;
2. strengthened knowledge base on the magnitude and determinants of alcohol-related harm and on effective interventions to reduce and prevent such harm;
3. increased technical support to, and enhanced capacity of, Member States for preventing the harmful use of alcohol and managing alcohol-use disorders and associated health conditions;
4. strengthened partnerships and better coordination among stakeholders and increased mobilization of resources required for appropriate and concerted action to prevent the harmful use of alcohol;
5. improved systems for monitoring and surveillance at different levels, and more effective dissemination and application of information for advocacy, policy development and evaluation purposes.

Guiding principles

The protection of the health of the population by preventing and reducing the harmful use of alcohol is a public health priority. The following principles will guide the development and implementation of policies at all levels; they reflect the multifaceted determinants of alcohol-related harm and the concerted multisectoral actions required to implement effective interventions.

• Public policies and interventions to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harm should be guided and formulated by public health interests and based on clear public health goals and the best available evidence.
• Policies should be equitable and sensitive to national, religious and cultural contexts.
• All involved parties have the responsibility to act in ways that do not undermine the implementation of public policies and interventions to prevent and reduce harmful use of alcohol.
• Public health should be given proper deference in relation to competing interests and approaches that support that direction should be promoted.
• Protection of populations at high risk of alcohol-attributable harm and those exposed to the effects of harmful drinking by others should be an integral part of policies addressing the harmful use of alcohol.
• Individuals and families affected by the harmful use of alcohol should have access to affordable and effective prevention and care services.
• Children, teenagers and adults who choose not to drink alcohol beverages have the right to be supported in their non-drinking behaviour and protected from pressures to drink.
• Public policies and interventions to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harm should encompass all alcoholic beverages and surrogate alcohol.

The ten areas for national action

1. leadership, awareness and commitment;
2. health services' response;
3. community action;
4. drink-driving policies and countermeasures;
5. availability of alcohol;
6. marketing of alcoholic beverages;
7. pricing policies;
8. reducing the negative consequences of drinking and alcohol intoxication;
9. reducing the public health impact of illicit alcohol and informally produced alcohol;
10. monitoring and surveillance.

Four priority areas for global action

1. public health advocacy and partnership;
2. technical support and capacity building;
3. production and dissemination of knowledge;
4. resource mobilization.

The implementation of the global strategy will require active collaboration with Member States, with appropriate engagement of international development partners, civil society, the private sector, as well as public health and research institutions. WHO an its Member States are dedicated to work together to address the key areas of policy options and interventions, to interact with relevant stakeholder and to ensure that the strategy is implemented both nationally and globally.