www.alkoholpolitik.ch

69th IOGT World Congress urges governments to make alcohol policy the priority it should be and calls for Framework Convention on Alcohol Control.

42 countries, 77 delegates and 320 participants all together took part in the 69th session of the IOGT International World Congress. Together they issued the following declaration:

Make Alcohol Policy Solutions The Priority They Should Be

We, the delegates of the 69thIOGT International World Congress “Future Made Here”, gathered to galvanize fresh momentum in our efforts to tackle alcohol as major obstacle to sustainable development.

We note with alarm the lack of progress in preventing and reducing alcohol harm in countries around the world.

13 of 17 Sustainable Development Goals are adversely affected by alcohol. Every ten seconds a human being dies due to an alcohol-related cause. Globally, alcohol is the leading risk factor for premature death and disability among people between the ages of 15 to 49. Alcohol harm is decimating our families, hurting our communities, undermining our economic productivity, and impeding progress for all. All this is manufactured and fueled by the alcohol industry, their harmful products and unethical business practices, which include tax avoidance, pervasive marketing and industry self-regulation.

Not only is Big Alcohol ruthlessly pursuing profits with no regard for Human Rights, human dignity, and human well-being. The alcohol industry is also engaging in aggressive political activities to undermine, derail and obstruct evidence-based and cost-effective alcohol policy measures that would benefit people and societies.

We are deeply concerned about the fact that our governments are dangerously off track in fulfilling their commitments to promoting a better life for all through tackling alcohol harm.

Independent science shows that the alcohol policy best buys hold considerable and largely untapped potential to promote health,  foster development and to protect especially vulnerable groups like children and youth, women and people in deprived and marginalized communities. For example, a $1 investment in the alcohol policy best buy measures generates a return of $9 dollars. These alcohol policy best buys are important tools to help achieve the SDGs.

The lack of progress in policy implementation and enforcement since the adoption of the WHO Global Alcohol Strategy in 2010 make the need for a binding international agreement abundantly clear.

Therefore, we call for the adoption of a Framework Convention on Alcohol Control. In the era of the Agenda 2030, sustainable development will not be possible without renewed and high-level political commitment and persistent, evidence-based action to prevent and reduce alcohol harm.

It is high-time that governments make alcohol policy solutions the priority they should be in order to achieve development for all.

Source: IOGT International

To:

Hon. Mrs Aida Kurtovic, Chair of the Board

Hon. Mr Peter Sands, Incoming Executive Director

Hon. Mrs Marijke Wijnroks, Interim Executive Director

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Chemin de Blandonnet 8
1214 Vernier
Geneva, Switzerland

Dear Mrs Kurtovic, Mr Sands and Mrs Wijnroks,

It is with tremendous appreciation and respect for the work and mission of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria  that we write to you today to voice our deep concern with the newly announced partnership with Heineken, and to respectfully urge you to immediately end this partnership.

The era of sustainable development should be all about partnerships; to address cross-cutting drivers and determinants of ill-heath and poverty, to mobilize resources, to unlock synergies across sectors, and to galvanize truly sustainable efforts to implement evidence-based good practice for transformational change.

We understand the need to seek new financing mechanisms for global health and see the apparent benefits of building on the logistics developed by commercial enterprises. However, we respectfully point out the dangers inherent in partnerships with the producers and marketers of hazardous products such as alcohol.

Read more: http://iogt.org/open-letters/joint-open-letter-concern-regarding-global-fund-partnering-heineken/

signed by:

Kristina Sperkova, International President, IOGT International

Sally Casswell, Chair, Global Alcohol Policy Alliance

Katie Dain, CEO, NCD Alliance

New York, Auckland, London, February 1, 2018

Eurocare Press Release: NGOS RESIGN FROM HEALTH FORUM AS COMMISSION IGNORES MEMBER STATE AND EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CALLS FOR ALCOHOL STRATEGY

Public Health NGOs have today resigned from the EU Alcohol and Health Forum, following the announcement by Commissioner Andriukaitis that he has no plans to establish a new EU Alcohol Strategy[1]. The Commissioner’s decision goes against demands from Member States and the European Parliament for a new comprehensive Strategy to tackle alcohol harm in Europe.

Membership of the Forum, which is chaired by DG Sante, includes drinks industry representatives and public health NGOs. More than 20 health bodies, including Eurocare (European Alcohol Policy Alliance), EPHA (European Public Health Alliance) and the CPME (Standing Committee of European Doctors) today tendered their collective resignation in an open letter to Commissioner Andriukaitis.

Signatories to the letter outline their “deep concerns” about the neglect of public health and the prioritisation of alcohol industry interests. These include:

·        The Commission is ignoring calls from the European Parliament and Member States to develop a new EU Alcohol Strategy

·        The Commission plans to include alcohol within a wider framework for tackling chronic disease, which would fail to address many harms caused by alcohol to those other than the drinker, such as drink driving, domestic abuse and child sexual exploitation

·        There is no evidence to show that the EU Alcohol and Health Forum has had any impact on public health

·        The Forum was established to support the implementation of the previous EU Alcohol Strategy, which ended in 2012. With no new Strategy planned, membership of the Forum cannot be justified.

Signatories also expressed disappointment that the Commissioner had rejected requests for public health experts to have a formal structure to meet with Commission officials to discuss alcohol policy, free from vested interest groups.

Mariann Skar, Secretary General of Eurocare, said: “The Commissioner himself stated drinking behaviours in Europe are good for the Alcohol Industry but not good for Health. Eurocare represents 58 organisations in 25 countries and we deeply regret the Commission’s decision not to establish a new EU Alcohol Strategy. This flies in the face of persistent demands from Member States, the European Parliament and NGOs. The EU is the heaviest drinking region in the world and with 120,000 premature deaths related to alcohol each year, we absolutely must have a comprehensive strategy to tackle alcohol harm.”

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, Chair of the EU Alcohol and Health Forum’s Science Group said, “This is a sad day for those who care about health in Europe. The Commission’s prioritisation of alcohol industry interests over public health has been laid bare. Many NGOs have participated actively and in good faith in the EU Alcohol and Health Forum, in the hope of making progress and reducing alcohol harm. However, with no evidence to indicate the Forum has achieved any meaningful results, and no promise of a new Alcohol Strategy, we see no alternative to walking away from this failing organization.”

Nina Renshaw, Secretary General of EPHA, said, „The alcohol industry must have raised a few glasses to DG SANTE after their admission at the last Forum meeting that they don’t even aim to improve health. The Commission has finally admitted what the health community has long suspected – that they have abandoned alcohol policy altogether.  The Forum has proved worse than useless, a free PR front for the industry. The Commission even endorses the industry introducing drinking culture to young kids by promoting „responsible“ drinking in primary schools. The health community had to call time on this charade.“

Original Contribution
Alcohol Consumption at Midlife and Risk of Stroke During 43 Years of Follow-Up
Cohort and Twin Analyses
Pavla Kadlecová, MSc,
Ross Andel, PhD,
Robert Mikulík, PhD,
Elizabeth P. Handing, BA and
Nancy L. Pedersen, PhD
STROKE AHA.114.006724 Published online before print January 29, 2015, doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.114.006724

From the International Clinical Research Center, Neurology Department, St. Anne’s Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic (P.K., R.A., R.M.); School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa (R.A., E.P.H.); Department of Neurology, St. Anne’s University Hospital and Medical Faculty of Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic (R.M.); Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden (N.L.P.); and Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles (N.L.P.).
Correspondence to Pavla Kadlecová, MSc, Pekařská 53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic. E-mail kadlecovap{at}fnusa.cz

Abstract

Background and Purpose—Although alcohol–stroke association is well known, the age-varying effect of alcohol drinking at midlife on subsequent stroke risk across older adulthood has not been examined. The effect of genetic/early-life factors is also unknown. We used cohort and twin analyses of data with 43 years of follow-up for stroke incidence to help address these gaps.

Methods—All 11 644 members of the population-based Swedish Twin Registry born 1886 to 1925 with alcohol data aged ≤60 years were included. The interaction of midlife alcohol consumption by age at stroke was evaluated in Cox-regression and analyses of monozygotic twins were used. Covariates were baseline age, sex, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, stress reactivity, depression, body mass index, smoking, and exercise.

Results—Altogether 29% participants developed stroke. Compared with very-light drinkers (<0.5 drink/d), heavy drinkers (>2 drinks/d) had greater risk of stroke (hazard ratio, 1.34; P=0.02) and the effect for nondrinkers approached significance (hazard ratio, 1.11; P=0.08). Age increased stroke risk for nondrinkers (P=0.012) and decreased it for heavy drinkers (P=0.040). Midlife heavy drinkers were at high risk from baseline until the age of 75 years when hypertension and diabetes mellitus grew to being the more relevant risk factors. In analyses of monozygotic twin-pairs, heavy drinking shortened time to stroke by 5 years (P=0.04).

Conclusions—Stroke-risk associated with heavy drinking (>2 drinks/d) in midlife seems to predominate over well-known risk factors, hypertension and diabetes, until the age of ≈75 years and may shorten time to stroke by 5 years above and beyond covariates and genetic/early-life factors. Alcohol consumption should be considered an age-varying risk factor for stroke.

Eurocare_Press_Release_Alcohol_can_cause_cancer

_limit_your_intake_4th_Feb_2015

Content:
65th World Health Assembly – Non-communicable Diseases – Alcohol Target Missing
Also in this issue:

– NCDA Global Platform faces opposition from COI coalition
– One in eight deaths in Europe between the ages of 15 and 64 “is caused by alcohol”
– German medical students not taught about alcohol problems
– Leading alcohol beverage producers agree to extend common marketing standards and reinforce selfregulation across the EU
– Study on the affordability of alcoholic beverages in the EU
– Irish Republic and Northern Ireland come together to hold first All-Island conference on alcohol
– French Breathalyser Law
etc.
THE GLOBE, Issue 3 2012

The study found increased cigarette prices due to taxes did not decrease smoking rates in people under 30, The Atlantic reports.

The researchers based their findings on data from the 2001-2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys, which included 1.3 million people. They found increases in state cigarette prices were associated with increases in current drinking among people ages 65 and older, and binge and heavy drinking among those ages 21 to 29. They found reductions in smoking among adults ages 30 to 64, drinking among those ages 18 to 20, and binge drinking among those 65 and older.

“Researchers, practitioners, advocates, and policymakers should work together to understand and prepare for these unintended consequences of tobacco taxation policy,” the researchers wrote in the journal Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy.
(Source: Join Together, 07/17/12)

The European Alcohol Policy Alliance has launched a new website to flag up the risks associated with alcohol consumption and cancer.

Alcohol is a carcinogenic (cancer causing) substance, yet only 1 in 5 people are aware of the risks that alcohol can bring. 10% of the total cancers in males and 3% of the total cancers in females are thought to be associated with alcohol consumption. A range of cancers are linked to alcohol, including liver cancer and prostate cancer. Any alcohol can increase the risk, so there isn’t a „safer“ alcoholic drink to gravitate to. …
(Source: Eurocare, 07/02/12)

Sport is not an arena for alcohol promotion

This weekend, UEFA Euro 2012 kicks off in Warsaw. During the next weeks 1.4 million fans are expected at the stadiums, and millions of people will follow the championship from more than 200 territories around the world. This is a brilliant opportunity to promote sport, physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. However, looking at the sponsors to UEFA Euro 2012, healthy lifestyle is not the message put forward when exposing the audience with sponsors such as Coca Cola, McDonalds and Carlsberg. Carlsberg is one of the leading breweries in the world, and is one of the official sponsors to the UEFA Euro 2012.

In 2009, global sponsorship spending was estimated for 44.8 billion USD; compared to 5.6 billion in 1987. It must be working and paying off. ‘It is extremely disappointing that with such an unique platform UEFA with silent blessing of political leaders is choosing to promote alcohol over health. To associate and brand football together with alcohol is more than problematic. It is simply lack of any long term consideration of the impact bad health will have on the population.’ says Mariann Skar- Secretary General of European Alcohol Policy Alliance. …
(Source: Eurocare, 06/7/12)

The current EU Alcohol Strategy is coming to an end in 2012. However Europe is still the world’s heaviest drinking region-

– Alcohol is the world’s number one risk factor for ill-health and premature death amongst the 25 – 59 year old age group, a core of the working age population

– Alcohol related harm is 1 of the 4 risk factors for developing NCDs such as cancer and cardiovascular disease

– Social costs attributable to alcohol account for €155.8 billion

Due to the size of the problem and universal impact this problem requires a comprehensive, coordinated response from policy and decision makers at the European and national levels.

This event will build on the Call for Action from 88 health and social NGOs from across Europe and will be an opportunity to address the issue in the European Parliament to ensure continuation of the efforts to tackle alcohol related harm.

Draft programe

For more informaiton please conact Eurocare Secretariat
When
June 27th, 2012 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Location
Rue Wiertz 60
European Parliament
Brussels, B 1047
Belgium
Contact
Phone: +32 (0)2 736 05 72
Email: aleksandra.kaczmarek@eurocare.org