Updated By: LatestGKGS Desk
WHO SAFER Initiative to reduce harmful use of alcohol & NCDs
About WHO SAFER Initiative to reduce harmful use of alcohol & NCDs: Details, Aim, Purpose, Highlights
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently on 29 September, released SAFER Initiative, a new initiative to support governments in taking practical steps to accelerate progress on health, beat noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
WHO SAFER Initiative address the harmful use of alcohol, and achieve development targets.
About SAFER Initiative
SAFER provides five high-impact strategic actions that are prioritized for implementation to promote health and development by:
- S-trengthening restrictions on alcohol availability.
- A-dvance and enforcing drink-driving countermeasures.
- F-acilitating access to screening, brief interventions, and treatment.
- E-nforcing bans or comprehensive restrictions on alcohol advertising, sponsorship, and promotion.
- R-aising prices on alcohol through excise taxes and pricing policies.
SAFER will be used to reduce the burden of alcohol-related harm in low-, middle- and high-income countries.
Alcohol control essential for development as it is a part of the 17 SDG goals with 169 targets.
Target 3.5 is “Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol”.
Also, the WHO Global Monitoring Framework for NCDs includes a target to reduce harmful use of alcohol by at least 10% by 2025.
Need
Alcohol consumption contributes to more than 3 million deaths globally every year and over 5% of the global burden of disease and injury, according to the recently issued WHO Global Status Report (GSR) on Alcohol and Health 2018.
WHO
Founded: 7 April 1948
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
Head: Tedros Adhanom
Members: 194
