MEDIA RELEASE
Officials meet 28-30 September to address gap between policy and practice on alcohol
in the Pacific
Senior
government officials from more than 20 Pacific countries and territories will be
attending a meeting on “Alcohol and Health in the Pacific” at the Secretariat of
the Pacific Community (SPC) headquarters in Noumea, New Caledonia, from 28 to 30
September 2004.
The meeting, the first Pacific regional meeting on alcohol in 20 years, is a collaboration between the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the New Zealand Ministry of Health.
“This first meeting on alcohol will be a pivotal opportunity for Member States to review policy, identify plans and outline some concrete actions to address the impact from alcohol,” said Dr Harley Stanton, SPC’s tobacco and alcohol adviser.
The World Health Organization has made commitments to strengthening global action against alcohol harm. Other countries and regions have already taken action in comprehensive ways. In Europe the European Alcohol Action Plan was developed in the early 1990s. Policy developments of interest to the Pacific have also taken place in other countries, including Australia and New Zealand. Experts from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and Australia will participate in the meeting along with the SPC, WHO and New Zealand, to share some of these developments and help our countries build on these for the benefit of the Pacific.
“Alcohol use in the Pacific has increased significantly over the last 50 years and measures aimed at reducing alcohol related health and social problems, such as violence, car crashes, domestic violence, sexual assaults, child abuse, suicide, have not kept pace,” says Dr Harley Stanton. “This is a cause of concern to the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. We want this meeting to progress current knowledge of the abuse and impact of alcohol into healthy action in each country and at the regional level.”
Discussions at the meeting will focus on a number of effective approaches which can be taken. These include: price and taxation measures, regulation of availability, modifying the way and locations in which people drink, putting measures in place to counter drink driving, reducing and regulating promotion, and providing adequate support for treatment programmes to those with problem alcohol use.
<END>
For further information contact:
Dr Harley Stanton, SPC Health Promotion Adviser - Tobacco and Alcohol, Tel: + 687 26 01 22 (Direct) or + 687 26 20 00 (SPC General), Email: HarleyS@spc.int
or
Christelle Lepers, SPC Surveillance Information Officer, Tel: + 687 26 01 81 (Direct) or + 687 26 20 00 (SPC General) or Mobile: + 687 84 28 37, Email: christellel@spc.int
SPC website: http://www.spc.int/