Brazilian NGO on the move

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Latin America’s largest country, Brazil, gathered in early September to develop a long-term strategy for promoting effective alcohol policies at the global, federal and local levels.

The gathering of representatives from 132 Brazilian NGOs was held on September 6, 2006, prior to thestart of the annual Brazilian Association of Alcohol and Drugs (ABEAD) congress, which convened in Santos, in the state of São Paolo. Dr. Ronaldo Laranjeira of the Alliance of Citizens for Control of Alcohol (ACCA) and meeting cochair, set the stage for the meeting by providing a summary of the Global Alcohol Policy Network’s (GAPA) efforts to build a global network of NGOs working on alcohol policy and he expressed his desire for Brazil to have a strong,organized participation in GAPA’s efforts.

Mr. Neube Brigagão, president of one of Brazil’s largest and most important NGOs, (Brazilian Federation of Families with Alcohol and Drug Problems), lent his full support for an organized Brazilian alcohol policy network. The organization, which is comprised of parents of people with alcohol and drug dependence, has over 1000 local groups throughout Brazil and they provide services to more than 80,000 families per week. Mr. Brigagão stated that theorganization would support policies efforts that “provided our children with an alternative to drinking” and felt that a coordinated effort in Brazil is needed.

Participants also heard about alcohol policy and organizing efforts by NGOs from other countries, particularly from the United States of America and Argentina. Mr. Raul Malatini, director of the Comisiona Nacional de Padres de Argentina, described how the small drinking and driving prevention NGO rose from a handful of volunteers to a nationwide effort.

Meeting participants formed a 12- member committee that has taken the responsibility for centralizing decisions about future actions and the leadership in developing a Brazilian alcohol policy network. The committee did not have to wait long for an opportunity. Hours after the meeting, committee members learned that the legislative body of the state of Rio Grande do Sul had approved and sent the Governor a law that would have re-categorized wine from an alcoholic beverage to a food product, thus lowering the tax, and price, of wine.

Committee members quickly organized NGOs from the state of Rio Grande do Sul and from around the country to send emails to the governor, president of the legislature and other politicians from this wine-producing state. Hundreds of emails were sent and the media provided extensive coverage of the campaign to stop the law from being signed. The governor, who had earlier supported the bill, withdrew his support and refused to approve the law.

Based on the success of the email campaign, committee members are now working on developing a more formalized, and rapid, way of communicating with all NGOs interested in alcohol policy in Brazil. The committee is also planning a meeting in March 2007 in Brasilia, the capital of the country. Dr. Sergio de Paula Ramos, president of ABEAD and co-chair of the meeting, stated that the gathering in Brasilia would be “a next step to developing a strong, unified position on where Brazilian NGOs stand in terms of alcohol policies within the country and in relation to the World Health Assembly.”

Ronaldo Laranjeira - Alliance of Citizens for Control of Alcohol (ACCA)

Anthony Ramirez - Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation