Remarkable progress has been made over the last decade—yet significant challenges remain. This is the conclusion UNAIDS draws from the latest statistics over the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Their new report “AIDS by the numbers” says that there has been a reduction of 33% in new HIV infections since 2001.

The current issue of the journal of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA, USA), Alcohol Research: Current Reviews carries a number of articles about the impact of alcohol globally and in the United States. The full issue or individual articles are available online in pdf or various e-book formats.

The Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) in Colombo has been named «NGO of the Year» in 2013 by the Sri Lankan newspaper The Nation. This was announced late December 2013. – A great motivation, comments the ADIC Director, Pubudu Sumanasekera.

The government of Madagascar has a legislative base to restrict alcohol marketing in the ‘Code Général de Impots’. However, alcohol producers and advertisers are breaking this law en masse, concludes a new EUCAM report from Madagascar.

A recent working paper "The Role of Fiscal Policies in Health Promotion" concludes that the arguments in support of taxes being used to attain public health objectives are strong for tobacco products and alcoholic beverages.

The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has introduced Self-Learning Courses on several aspects of alcohol and drug harm and policy. The virtual courses may be accessed by anyone and are available in English and Spanish.

A new report published by The Lancet says there is an enormous payoff from investing in health and that fiscal policies are a powerful and underused lever for curbing of non-communicable diseases and injuries. Taxing tobacco, alcohol and other harmful substances are among the reccommendations.

A modest proportion of Malawians - 14 per cent - are alcohol drinkers. On the other hand, those who do drink have a high and risky consumption level. These were two of the key conclusions in a report presented to the Malawian Minister of Health Wednesday. The report has mapped drinking habits in Malawi.

The World Bank recently released the report "Risking your Health: Causes, Consequences and Interventions to Prevent Risky Behaviors". It warns that risky behaviors are increasingly prevalent globally, particularly in developing countries, and constitute a growing threat to the health of individuals and their populations.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has recently issued a Discussion Paper titled "Addressing the Social Determinants of Noncommunicable Diseases". It offers a typology of multisectoral action on NCDs and a framework for actors outside the health sector to take action.