In the mid-1990s a core group of organisations on both sides of the Atlantic saw the need for an international network of alcohol policy advocates. In 1995 a small number of US advocates attended a European non-governmental organisation conference in London which was preparing a statement for the World Health Organization’s European Ministerial conference to be held in Paris later that year.

The feasibility of establishing a global alliance for the prevention of alcohol related harm was assessed at that time. Eurocare - an alliance of over forty agencies in the EU -showed that an alliance could be successfully established if the will were there. The need for such a network was accepted, and it was agreed that this would best be done from the United States.

In the Spring of 1999 the organisations sponsoring this conference met in Chicago and decided to organise a Global Alcohol Policy Advocacy Conference in Syracuse.

The Conference main themes in the plenary sessions and the papers given are published in a special edition of The Globe (pdf 1mb) magazine.

The Conference called for an international network of organisations independent of the alcohol beverage industry which would bring together global experience and competence to advocate for policies at international and country level to reduce the harm that can be done by alcohol.

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