WHO adopts global strategy on alcohol

Date: 25/05/2010

On 20 May, the World Health Assembly adopted by consensus the Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol, already endorsed by the WHO Executive Board in January 2010, with no changes of substance. The text of the Global Strategy is available here: http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA63/A63_13-en.pdf

The Global Strategy proposes a number of policy options grouped into ten target areas, which should be seen as "supportive and complementary":

1.      Awareness and commitment
2.      Health services' response
3.      Community action
4.      Drink-driving policies and countermeasures
5.      Availability of alcohol
6.      Marketing of alcoholic beverages
7.      Pricing policies
8.      Harm reduction approaches
9.      Reducing the public health impact of illegal and informal alcohol
10.  Monitoring and surveillance.

Key recommendations on alcohol marketing

The Global Strategy proposes a restrictive approach to alcohol marketing, arguing that:

- "Reducing the impact of marketing is an important consideration in reducing harmful use of alcohol" (§29), since "both the content of alcohol marketing and the amount of exposure of young people to that marketing are crucial issues" (§30).
- "It is very difficult to target young adult consumers without exposing cohorts of adolescents under the legal age to the same marketing" (§30).
- "A precautionary approach to protecting young people against (...) marketing techniques should be considered" (§30).
- "The exposure of children and young people to appealing marketing is of particular concern, as is the targeting of new markets in developing and low- and middle-income countries with a current low prevalence of alcohol consumption or high abstinence rates" (§30).
- "Alcohol is marketed through increasingly sophisticated advertising and promotion techniques, including linking alcohol brands to sports and cultural activities, sponsorships and product placements, and new marketing techniques such as e-mails, SMS and podcasting, social media and other communication techniques" (§29).
- "The transmission of alcohol marketing messages across national borders and jurisdictions via channels such as satellite television, internet and sponsorship of sports and cultural events has emerged as a serious concern in some countries" (§29).

On this basis, WHO proposes the following three different policy options accompanied by a series of interventions:

- setting up regulatory or co-regulatory frameworks, preferably with a legislative basis, and supported when appropriate by self-regulatory measures, for alcohol marketing by:
     - regulating the content and the volume of marketing;
     - regulating direct or indirect marketing in certain or all media;
     - regulating sponsorship activities that promote alcoholic beverages;
     - restricting or banning promotions in connection with activities targeting young people;
     - regulating new forms of alcohol marketing techniques, for instance social media;

- development by public agencies or independent bodies of effective systems of surveillance of marketing of alcohol products;
- setting up effective administrative and deterrence systems for infringements on marketing restrictions.

The Global Strategy does not recommend one policy option over another or any particular mix, it recognises co-regulation (with a legal basis) as a valid option to frame alcohol advertising, and suggests that it may be supported by self-regulation.

The Global Strategy will serve as guidance to Governments worldwide for the development of national alcohol policies. The adoption of this Global Strategy is likely to increase focus on the issue in a number of markets worldwide.

If you require any additional information, please don't hesitate to contact Malte Lohan [email protected].

 

 


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