In May 2022, the 75th World Health Assembly adopted the Global Alcohol Action Plan (GAAP) 2022-2030. The global strategy aims to reduce the harmful use of alcohol as a public health priority.
The action plan for 2022–2030 will leverage the available public health evidence and knowledge from alcohol control policy to tackle the many harms associated with alcohol consumption. The action plan sets up six crucial areas for action as well as corresponding global targets and indicators. It proposes specific actions and measures by Member States, the WHO Secretariat and by other stakeholders, including professional associations and academia.
The action plan has 6 key areas:
- Action area 1: Implementation of high-impact strategies and interventions: Increase population coverage, implementation and enforcement of high-impact policy options and interventions to reduce the harmful use of alcohol worldwide for better health and well-being, taking into account gender perspective and a life-course approach.
- Action area 2: Advocacy, awareness and commitment: Strengthen multisectoral action through effective governance, enhanced political commitment, leadership, dialogue and coordination of multisectoral action.
- Action area 3: Partnership, dialogue and coordination: Enhance the prevention and treatment capacity of health and social care systems for disorders due to alcohol use and associated health conditions as an integral part of universal health coverage and aligned with the 2030 Agenda and its health targets.
- Action area 4: Technical support and capacity-building: Raise awareness of the risks and harms associated with alcohol consumption and its impact on the health and well-being of individuals, families, communities and nations, as well as of the effectiveness of different policy options for reducing consumption and related harm.
- Action area 5: Knowledge production and information systems: Strengthen information systems and research for monitoring alcohol consumption, alcohol-related harm, their determinants and modifying factors, and policy responses at all levels, with dissemination and application of information for advocacy in order to inform policy and intervention development and evaluation.
- Action area 6: Resource mobilization: Significantly increase the mobilization of resources required for appropriate and sustained action to reduce the harmful use of alcohol at all levels.
As part of the action plan implementation, ISSUP attended a consultation at the WHO Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland along with other key professional associations and academic groups on 18-20 January 2023. The objectives of the meeting were to inform the Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022-2030 and discuss the actions proposed in the plan for professional associations and academia, as well as to explore opportunities and plans for international collaboration and discuss potential roles and activities of represented groups.
ISSUP is looking forward to collaborating with WHO to share more information on the Global strategy and the action plan with its members.
Learn more about the process for developing the Global Alcohol Action Plan here.