Prevention

Global strategy to reduce harmful use of alcohol

In 2010, the sixty-third session of the World Health Assembly adopted by consensus the resolution which endorses the global strategy to reduce harmful use of alcohol. The global strategy lists the priority areas for the global action and the national action.

The four priority areas for global action

  • public health advocacy and partnership

  • technical support and capacity building

  • production and dissemination of knowledge

  • resource mobilization

The ten areas for national action

  • leadership, awareness and commitment

  • health services' response

  • community action

  • drink-driving policies and countermeasures

  • availability of alcohol

  • marketing of alcoholic beverages

  • pricing policies

  • reducing the negative consequences of drinking and alcohol intoxication

  • reducing the public health impact of illicit alcohol and informally produced alcohol

  • monitoring and surveillance

SAFER

In 2018, acknowledging the urgency to control and prevent the alcohol-related public health and development burden, WHO launched “SAFER”– an action package prioritizing five high impact WHO “best buys” and “good buys” out of the 10 policy areas outlined in the Global Strategy to Reduce Harmful Use of Alcohol. This is known as the SAFER action package.