Latest articles on ADD
The Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security and FORUT – The Norwegian Campaign for Development and Solidarity invite Malawian civil society organizations and government institutions to a conference in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi.
In a press release 2 October WHO invites all interested parties to participate in a web-based public hearing to present their views on effective strategies to reduce the burden resulting from the harmful use of alcohol. WHO was asked by its Member States in May at the World Health Assembly to develop a global strategy to combat the harmful use of alcohol. The hearing is a part of this work. Submissions must be given before 31 October.
Swedish journalist Pierre Andersson has investigated the effects of globalization of alcohol. His conclusion in the newly published book "Global Hangover" is simple: alcohol is an obstacle to development.
Alcohol constitutes a double-sided problem in the developing world: on one hand, drinking is in many places a severe and additional burden to the poor and underprivileged, and on the other hand, we also see that new drinking habits, increasing consumption levels, and rising problems occur among a growing middle class in a number of countries.
”When he’s drunk, he becomes mad, he talks at the top of his voice, he beats me and he eats all the relish in the pot, which is not good. I am like a slave to him. I am not happy at all. I don’t enjoy marriage because we have no food, he spends his money on drinking and he comes home late’.
In its session Thursday 22 May the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution that calls for the development of a global strategy to reduce harmful consumption of alcohol. The Global Alcohol Policy Alliance welcomes the decision.
In a number of Sub-Saharan countries the drinks industry has usurped a governmental role by designing national alcohol policies. Its motive is clearly to safeguard its own vested interests – by directing the development of alcohol policies!
To protect the integrity and legitimacy of alcohol research, there should be no funding relationship between the alcohol industry and the research community. This was the conclusion from an expert meeting in Dublin, 15-16 May, where experiences with the industry from Europe, the US and the South were presented.
This week the World Health Assembly is in session at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. A resolution calling for a global strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm is on the agenda.
The Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) passed on the 22nd of January a resolution that will be recommended to the World Health Assembly in May this year, asking for a global strategy on harmful use of alcohol.