- IOGT International welcomes The Global Alcohol Strategy as a very important step forward in the global struggle for public health. Through the strategy all member states acknowledge the harmful use of alcohol as a major public health issue, says the IOGT International President Sven-Olov Carlsson.

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 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 world wide, and the expanding influence of the marketing and advertising for alcoholic beverages. Delegates welcomed the varied evidence-based measures included in the strategy and their potential for successfully addressing alcohol problems. The strategy highlights the effectiveness of focusing on policies regarding pricing, availability and marketing of alcohol. The WHA resolution was adopted with one amendment proposed by Thailand on behalf of the SEARO countries asking for adequate financial and human resources for implementation.

At the IOGT International Congress in Fredrikstad, Norway in Augst it will possibel to hear Dr. Vladimir Poznyak from the Management of Substance Dependence, Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence at the WHO will attend the Alcohol Policy conference.

A brief presentation of the Strategy can be found at the ADD web site.

All relevant documents, including the including the draft Alcohol Strategy in six languages, can be found at the WHO web site.