STATEMENT REGARDING THE CREATION OF A GLOBAL ADVOCACY NETWORK FOR ALCOHOL POLICY

On 5 August 2000, the Global Alcohol Policy Advocacy Conference adopted the following statement and resolution by acclamation:

ALCOHOL'S GLOBAL IMPACT

Alcohol use has resulted in significant losses to public health and safety throughout the world.  Despite a possible protective effect for select groups in the population of low levels of alcohol use (less than one drink every two days) against heart disease and other long-term health conditions, globally the net effect of alcohol on death and disability is negative.

The World Health Organization has estimated that alcohol accounts for 3.5 per cent of the total of all Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY's) lost to disease and disability in the world, a share exceeding that of tobacco.  Its contribution to global disability outstrips the impact of both malnutrition and occupational hazards.

Alcohol's impact is greater in much of the developing world, where alcohol use contributes to poverty and other social problems, and where alcohol-related death and disability far outstrips any possible protective effect.  Yet this is the very part of the world in which the multinational alcohol companies are most aggressively expanding, and have been shown to market their products in unsafe and unethical ways.

While alcohol provides employment and revenue to the state, numerous studies done primarily in developed countries have found that it also imposes considerable costs to public revenues in relation to health and social services and the criminal justice system, and has a negative impact on industrial productivity.  Although alcohol's relationship with violence is complex, there is ample evidence that, particularly in countries with drinking patterns that lead to frequent intoxication, greater drinking will lead to greater incidence of violence.

A CALL FOR ACTION

Recognising that the use of alcoholic beverages poses substantial risks to the health and safety of individuals, communities and society, we call on governments at local, national, regional and international levels to take action and to adopt policies that will prevent alcohol-related problems.

Such actions should be scientifically grounded, taking into account the substantial body of scientific research that has measured alcohol-related harm and the effectiveness of alcohol policies in reducing that harm.  They should be culturally sensitive, embedded in and responsive to the rich cultural diversity within and among nations.  They should be politically viable and enforceable, attentive to the importance of implementation in the effectiveness of policies.

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Just as individuals are responsible for their actions regarding alcohol, larger entities must also act responsibly.  Governments have a duty to safeguard the rights of citizens, and especially children and young people, to protection from the harmful actions of others.  We affirm these rights to be:

• The right to safe environments.  All people have the right to a family, community and working life protected from injuries, violence and other negative consequences of alcohol consumption.
• The right to know.  All people have the right to valid impartial information and education, starting early in life, on the consequences of alcohol consumption.
• The right to protection of young people.  All children and adolescents have the right to grow up in an environment protected from the negative consequences of alcohol consumption and, to the extent possible, from the promotion of alcoholic beverages.
• The right to health services.  All people with hazardous or harmful alcohol consumption and members of their families have the right to accessible treatment and care.
• The right to abstain from drinking.  All people who do not wish to consume alcohol, or who cannot do so for health or other reasons, have the right to be safeguarded from pressures to drink and to be supported in their non-drinking behaviour.

The alcohol industry has legitimate commercial interests with a primary responsibility to its shareholders.  Commercial interests that profit from the alcohol trade have a basic responsibility not to present themselves as objective guardians of the public interest, or as entities whose primary goal is the prevention of alcohol-related problems.  They are also responsible for respecting laws relating to availability and marketing, and ensuring that their products are responsibly served.  However, due to the clear conflict of interest regarding consumption of their products, they should not be involved in the education of young people regarding the use of their products.

Non-governmental organisations in many countries have been at the forefront of alcohol control.  They have a unique role, and deserve the support of governments in playing that role.  We affirm the call of the 2000-2005 European Alcohol Action Plan for governments to support non-governmental organisations and self-help movements that promote initiatives aimed at preventing or reducing the harm that can be done by alcohol, and we commend it to all regions of the world.  Actions by governments to achieve this outcome include the following functions:

• Support non-governmental organisations and networks that have experience and competence in advocating policies at international and country levels to reduce the harm that can be done by alcohol;
• Support organisations and networks that have a specific advocacy function within their remit, such as associations of health care professionals, representatives of civil society and consumer organisations;
• Support non-governmental organisations and networks that have a specific goal in informing and mobilising civil society with respect to alcohol-related problems, lobbying for policy change and effective implementation of policy at government level, as well as exposing harmful actions of the alcohol industry .

A GLOBAL ADVOCACY NETWORK FOR ALCOHOL POLICY

There is need for an international network of organisations independent of the alcoholic beverage industry that can bring together global experience and competence and advocate for policies at international and country levels to reduce the harm that can be done by alcohol.  Such an organisation would include health and welfare professionals, citizens of all ages, and consumer and research organisations without financial ties to the alcohol industry.

To this end, we propose to organise and seek broad support and recognition for a global advocacy network for alcohol policy with the following aims:

• to provide a forum for alcohol policy advocates through meetings, information sharing, publications, and electronic communications;
• to disseminate information internationally on effective alcohol policies and policy advocacy;
• to bring to the attention of international governmental and non-governmental agencies and communities the social, economic and health consequences of alcohol consumption and related harm;
• to advocate for international and national governmental and non-governmental efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm world wide;
• to co-operate with national and local organisations and communities to alleviate alcohol-related problems;
• to encourage international research on the social and health impact of the actions of the multinational alcohol beverage industry;
• to monitor and promote research on the impact of international trade agreements on alcohol-related harm;
• to monitor the activities of the alcoholic beverage industry;
• to place priority on research and advocacy regarding those parts of the world where alcohol problems are increasing;
• to ensure that member groups in those areas have the technology and support capacity to participate in a global network for communication and action.

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