New Zealand Government supports Global Alcohol Strategy

The support of the Government of New Zealand for the development of a global alcohol strategy was given by Associate Minister of Health, Peter Dunne, in an address to open the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region Technical Meeting, held in Auckland, New Zealand in March 2009.

Welcoming delegates from around the WHO Western Pacific Region, including from countries such as China, Mongolia, the Republic of Korea and Japan, as well as nearer countries such as Australia and the Pacific Islands, Mr Dunne praised the Western Pacific Region member states for the work they had done over the last several years in working to address the harmful consequences of the misuse of alcohol. This culminated in the production of the Regional Strategy to Reduce Alcohol-Related Harm.

Mr Dunne emphasised that the harmful consequences of the misuse of alcohol are among the most significant risks to health globally. As far back as 2002, the World Health Report stated that the harmful use of alcohol was responsible for 4 percent of total disease burden and over 3 percent of premature deaths.

Mr Dunne commented that this placed alcohol in the same order as tobacco and so it was indeed timely that the World Health Organization was working to develop global agreement on how to reduce alcohol-related harm. He said that it was important to address issues such as the size and magnitude of alcohol-related health and social harms, defining what challenges require global attention and, given the diversity of member states, how a global strategy should address gaps and barriers at a national and regional level.

It was important to consider how a global strategy could contribute to increased political commitment, strengthen health sector responses, and provide support to community based action, as well as how a strategy should address issues concerning the availability, marketing and pricing of alcohol.

Mr Dunne continued:

“The task will not be an easy one given the complex nature of the issues surrounding alcohol. This is why it is so important that discussion is occurring at this global level, with so many countries represented at this regional consultation meeting, as well as at the other five regional meetings being organised by the World Health Organization…. As outlined in the WHO’s discussion document, it is essential that communities are encouraged and empowered to identify and respond to issues at the local level.

The development of a global strategy will assist this to occur by providing recognition and support at an international level of the importance of community action.

This technical consultation meeting, while principally about the development of the World Health Organization’s strategy, is also an opportunity for our New Zealand delegation to extend the national conversation about how we deal with alcohol in this country. The sharing of experience and ideas with colleagues from other jurisdictions is pivotal to the maintenance of healthy alcohol policies and legislative frameworks.”