World Health Organization (WHO): 10 things governments could do to reduce the harmful use of alcohol (Excerpt)
Source: https://www.who.int/
10 July 2019
Each year 3 million lives are lost due to harmful use of alcohol. The WHO global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol seeks to improve the 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 focuses on ten key areas of policy options and interventions at the national level. The ten areas for national action are:
Leadership, awareness and commitment.
Health services’ response.
Community action.
Drink-driving policies and countermeasures.
Availability of alcohol.
Marketing of alcoholic beverages.
Pricing policies.
Reducing the negative consequences of drinking and alcohol intoxication.
Reducing the public health impact of illicit alcohol and informally produced alcohol.
Monitoring and surveillance.
Area 1. Leadership, awareness and commitment
Sustainable action requires strong leadership and a solid base of awareness and political will and commitment. The commitments should ideally be expressed through adequately funded comprehensive and intersectoral national policies that clarify the contributions, and division of responsibility, of the different partners involved. The policies must be based on available evidence and tailored to local circumstances, with clear objectives, strategies and targets. The policy should be accompanied by a specific action plan and supported by effective and sustainable implementation and evaluation mechanisms. The appropriate engagement of civil society and economic operators is essential.
For this area policy options and interventions include:
(a) developing or strengthening existing, comprehensive national and subnational strategies, plans of action and activities to reduce the harmful use of alcohol;
(b) establishing or appointing a main institution or agency, as appropriate, to be responsible for following up national policies, strategies and plans;
(c) coordinating alcohol strategies with work in other relevant sectors, including cooperation between different levels of governments, and with other relevant health-sector strategies and plans;
(d) ensuring broad access to information and effective education and public awareness programmes among all levels of society about the full range of alcohol-related harm experienced in the country and the need for, and existence of, effective preventive measures;
(e) raising awareness of harm to others and among vulnerable groups caused by drinking, avoiding stigmatization and actively discouraging discrimination against affected groups and individuals.
https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/10-areas-for-national-action-on-alcohol