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From the content: Global alcohol strategy endorsed. – UK Government „too close to drinks industry“. – Indian Government urged to formulate National Alcohol Policy. – Articles on Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Pacific Region, etc. THE GLOBE 1/2010 online

Binge and underage drinking are societal problems that college officials can’t be expected to solve, according to a speaker at the annual meeting of the American College Health Association (ACHA).
USA Today reported June 4 that Edward P. Ehlinger, head of the Boynton Health Service at the University of Minnesota, said that current efforts to combat dangerous drinking among college students aren’t working. „I don’t think the problem of alcohol is an underage problem. It is not a college or university problem,“ he said. „I think alcohol is a community problem — it is a societal problem.“ (Source: Join Together, 6/11/10) with our online comment

Items: News from Eurocare; News from Eurocare members; News from the EU; News from the WHO; News from the Member States; Alcohol Industry News; New research; Upcoming Events; Past Events; Questions from MEPs to the Commission on Alcohol. Eurocare Newsletter

NEW DELHI: India will soon crack the whip on binge drinking through higher taxes and tighter marketing regulations against alcoholic products.
For the first time, delegations from all 193 member states of the World Health Organization reached consensus at the World Health Assembly on a resolution to confront the abuse of alcohol. Target areas were identified for policy options, including community action, pricing policies and reducing the public health impact of illicit alcohol and informally produced alcohol.
WHO says that every year, the abuse of alcohol kills 2.5 million people, including 3.2 lakh young people between 15 and 29 years of age. It is the eighth leading risk factor for deaths globally. WHO estimates there are two billion alcohol consumers worldwide.
India has a lot to worry about as far as alcohol consumption is concerned. The average age of alcohol consumption in the country has fallen by nearly nine years over the past decade. At present, on an average, Indians take their first sip of alcohol at the age of 19 compared to 28 in the 1990s. Studies now say that in another 5-7 years, a majority of Indians will start consuming alcohol at the age of 15.
Nearly 62.5 million people in India at present drink alcohol with the per capita consumption being around four litres per adult per year. For every six men, one woman drinks alcohol in India. Over 40% of road crashes occur in India during the night, with one-third of them being due to drunk driving. (Source: Harvard World Health News, 5/27/10) timesofindia, 5/23/10

Geneva, 20 June 2010. At its sixty-third World Health Assembly, the 193 Member States of the World Health Organization have adopted, in a consensus vote, the eagerly awaited Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol.
In the two-hour long debate at the Assembly, all member states acknowledged the harmful use of alcohol as a major public health issue. In the many member state interventions, delegates pointed to the global aspects of the problem and requested that alcohol problems receive a higher priority at the WHO and that more resources be allocated to address those problems and to implement the new global strategy.
The important concerns identified in the debate included the increasing culture of binge drinking among young people worldwide, and the expanding influence of the alcohol marketing and advertising. Delegates welcomed the varied evidence-based measures included in the strategy and their potential for successfully addressing alcohol problems.
The resolution was adopted with one amendment proposed by Thailand on behalf of the SEARO countries asking for adequate financial and human resources for implementation (inserted in par. 4 (1)).
The WHO estimates that in 2004, 2.5 million people worldwide died of alcohol-related causes (mainly heart and liver disease, road accidents, suicides and various cancers), representing 3.8 % of all deaths and 4,6% of the global burden of disease.
The harmful use of alcohol has a serious effect on public health and is considered to be one of the main risk factors for poor health globally, the strategy document says.
The resolution calls on the member states of the WHO to take public policy measures to reduce the harmful consumption of alcohol. It highlights the effectiveness of focusing on policies regarding pricing, availability and marketing of alcohol.
However the recommendations in the Strategy are not binding, they are meant to serve as guidance to WHO’s Member States.
Mariann Skar, Secretary General of Eurocare stated “We warmly welcome the decision by the WHA to adopt a global strategy on alcohol. This is a key starting point in addressing the global threat to public health and social wellbeing represented by the harmful use of alcohol” and she added “Europe has a strong position and responsibility, being the world’s leader on alcohol consumption and an important exporter of alcoholic beverages“. She regretted that „we are exporting our drinking practices and norms to countries that lack the capability and capacity to meet the additional public health burden that results from them”.
The Global Alcohol Policy Alliance (GAPA) has as well welcomed the decision by the World Health Assembly, it’s chairman, Derek Rutherford said: „Concerted action to reduce global alcohol problems is long overdue. Today’s decision by the World Health Assembly is an important first step to address them. The strategy goes a long way in recognizing the transnational aspects of the alcohol issue. GAPA appreciates the wide range of supportive statements by WHO member states from both developed and developing countries in the discussion.“ (Source: Eurocare, 5/23/10)

The global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol was adopted by consensus at the annual assembly of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday 20 May. According to news agency Reuters health ministers agreed to try to curb binge drinking and other growing forms of excessive alcohol use through higher taxes on alcoholic drinks and tighter marketing regulations.
The WHO estimates that risks linked to alcohol cause 2.5 million deaths a year from heart and liver disease, road accidents, suicides and various cancers — 3.8 percent of all deaths. It is the third leading risk factor for premature deaths and disabilities worldwide.
„Alcohol is usually not perceived as a killer, though it is,“ Shekhar Saxena, director of WHO’s department of mental health and substance abuse, told a news briefing.
Despite growing abuse and youth drinking at an earlier age in many countries, half of WHO members do not have a national alcohol policy, according to WHO expert Vladimir Poznyak.
„The biggest changes might happen in those countries which have no alcohol control institutions or regulatory framework for alcohol consumption,“ he told Reuters. The global strategy is available in the documentation from the World Health Assembly here: http://apps.who.int/gb/e/e_wha63.html (A63/13)
The revised text of the resolution will be available on the same web page shortly. The original version recommended by the WHO Executive Board (EB126.R11) is available here: http://apps.who.int/gb/e/e_eb126.html#Resolutions

On the 20th of May, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution that endorsed a Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol. The strategy highlights the effectiveness of focusing on evidence-based policies regarding pricing, availability and marketing of alcoholic beverages.
When addressing alcohol marketing, the strategy describes the need to limit the volume of alcohol marketing in order to decrease alcohol-related harm. Additionally, alcohol advertising appealing to youth is a serious issue mentioned. International marketing techniques and advertising and sponsorship of alcohol in various new media is mentioned as a significant concern in some countries. The strategy addresses, in particular, the potential harmful effects to young people in lower and middle-inclime countries with a current low prevalence of alcohol consumption or high abstinence rates. (Source: eucam.info, 5/21/10)

WHO seeks bans on alcohol discounts in anti-abuse. The World Health Organisation on Thursday said it made a „breakthrough“ against alcohol abuse. – The World Health Organisation is calling for discounts on drinks to be banned and for advertising targeting young people to be scrapped as part of a strategy to cut alcohol abuse approved on Thursday.
The strategy drawn up by the UN health agency and approved by its 193-member states at an annual meeting of health ministers also pushes for an end to flat rates for unlimited drinking and for sponsorship to be regulated.
With some 320,000 young people aged 15 to 29 years dying from alcohol-related causes in 2004, the strategy took aim at the marketing of beverages which contributes to getting young people hooked.
„The transmission of alcohol marketing messages across national borders and jurisdictions on channels such as satellite television and the Internet, and sponsorship of sports and cultural events is emerging as a serious concern in some countries,“ it said. (Source: Harvard World Health News, 5/20/10) news.yahoo.com, 5/20/10 our Online-Comment: I am very glad about this WHO-Resolution on an alcohol-strategy. I hope that all countries which have signed it will introduce now effictive measures to follow the advice of this resolution. And I congratulate and thank all those scientists and public health professionals who have done such an extreemly good job. This milestone in public health history should be the beginning of a more worthy life for millions of people now and in the future.

Yesterday the United Nations General Assembly decided to convene a high-level UN meeting in September 2011 on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. Heads of State and Government will be attending.
Thursday 13 May the UN General Assembly concluded its consideration of the agenda item 114, Follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit. It passed the draft resolution A/64/L.52 introduced by the representative of Trinidad and Tobago (on behalf of the Caribbean Community). The resolution “Prevention and control of non-communicable diseases” was according to NGO reports from the meeting co-sponsored by some one hundred countries.
The resolution draws up the background by pointing to various international health documents related to non-communicable diseases. It is also recognizing “the enormous human suffering caused by non-communicable diseases” and that these diseases are leading to increasing inequalities between countries and populations, thereby threatening the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals,”
Of interest to the alcohol field is the mentioning with appreciation in the text of the various
World Health Assembly resolutions and decisions. This is including the evidence-based strategies and interventions to reduce the public health problems caused by the harmful use of alcohol. The UN resolution also points to alcohol abuse as one of the prominent risk factors for non-communicable diseases. Download the resolution in six languages from this page: http://doc.un.org/DocBox/docbox.nsf/GetAll?OpenAgent&DS=A/64/L.52 Journal for Friday 14 May for a recapture of the General Assembly session (page 17-18).: http://www.un.org/en/documents/journal.shtml

21 – 22 June 2010 in Brussels
The purpose of the conference is to promote and disseminate knowledge about current thinking on alcohol and alcohol policy matters; to build capacity and to promote networking and coalition building between and within the European countries. The main aim of the conference is to stimulate action in alcohol policy.
The conference is organized by Eurocare (European Alcohol Policy Alliance) under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium and it is co-financed by the European Commission and co-sponsored by the WHO (World Health Organization).
The conference location, in the heart of the European Union, will provide a unique opportunity to involve a wider audience and engage in dialogue with policy makers at the European level. (Source: Eurocare, Programme)