[GUEST ESSAY] When Alcohol Disappears From Accountability on Non-Communicable Diseases, Prevention Loses [EB158 WHO]
Newsletter Edition #328 [The Files In-Depth]
Hi,
Process determines outcomes. And omissions can be glaring.
In this edition, we bring you a guest essay from activist groups working on addressing non-communicable diseases, focusing on alcohol as a risk factor.
In the on-going meeting of the WHO Executive Board, author of the essay, Maik Dünnbier, examines what the omission of alcohol from a report to the Board, means for the fight against NCDs, what it reveals about governance and recounts the impact of alcohol use on public health. Such omissions convey more than meets the eye.
Dünnbier reminds us that “during the UN High-Level Meeting process, alcohol policy language was systematically attacked, diluted, and partially removed due to alcohol industry interference. When the follow-up report then excludes alcohol entirely, it compounds this pattern and signals that alcohol is the one major NCD risk factor that can be sidelined.” He calls for future reporting to track alcohol policy implementation for the achievement of NCD goals.
We hope you find this edition useful and timely.
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I. UPDATE EB158: GUEST ESSAY
When Alcohol Disappears From Accountability on Non-Communicable Diseases, Prevention Loses
By Maik Dünnbier
Dünnbier is Director of Strategy and Advocacy at Movendi International, a global social movement of 140+ civil society organisations from 50+ countries working to advance alcohol policy to achieve health and development for all. Email: maik.duennbier@movendi.ngo
For most people, preventing avoidable disease is a shared priority. Governments commit to promoting healthy years of life, strengthening health systems, and protecting communities from preventable harm. That is why follow-up and accountability matter: what gets tracked gets acted on, and what is omitted risks falling behind.
Against this backdrop, the recent WHO Executive Board discussion of the Director General’s report on follow-up to the UN High-Level Meeting on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health (agenda item 6) raises a serious concern. While welcoming the Political Declaration of the High-Level Meeting and establishing annual reporting through 2031, the report makes no mention of alcohol at all. Alcohol is neither mentioned as major NCDs risk factor even though the Political Declaration does nor is alcohol policy mentioned as key solution to tackle the NCDs burden.
In a document explicitly about implementation, acceleration, and accountability, that omission is deeply concerning. The omission of alcohol contradicts both the political declaration as well as the reality countries face with rising cancer cases and deaths due to alcohol. In some regions, alcohol’s contribution to NCDs is skyrocketing.
