Invitation to an NGO Alliance for a Global Strategy

In a consultation the World Health Organization (WHO) had with NGOs in the alcohol field in Geneva 24-25 November the WHO secretariat suggested that NGOs interested in the process leading up to a Global Strategy to Reduce Harmful Use of Alcohol get together on one information/communication platform. The purpose of the network is to facilitate two way communications between WHO and NGOs on “ways they can contribute” to reducing harm from alcohol.

If you/your organisation is interested to join, you may send an e-mail to request an invitation: Øystein Bakke, GAPA Secretary.

In the meeting in Geneva, the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance (GAPA) agreed to facilitate such a platform for NGOs independent of commercial interest. This limitation is related to the current focus of a platform on alcohol policy development and also on GAPA’s status and principles. If some of the organisations would not be able to join this platform, WHO may communicate with them directly.

GAPA has agreed to set up a low-scale information-sharing network. - The ambitions would be low, starting with a simple e-mail list. Various practical questions will be addressed when we see how things work as we go along, says Øystein Bakke in the GAPA secretariat. - We immediately received kind assistance to set up this email list on the open platform already in use by many WHO departments. The Knowledge Management for Public Health (KM4PH) is a group based e-mail list we suggest may be the starting point for what we have termed the “NGO Alliance for a Global Strategy on Alcohol.”

I addition to those few international networks/NGOs which participated in the November meeting GAPA invites wide participation of NGOs independent of commercial interest to join this information sharing platform.

- By accepting the invitation from GAPA you confirm that you personally do not nor does the organisation you represent receive any funding from the alcohol industry or associated business or any organisations set up by them, says Øystein Bakke.

Read more on the WHO web site here.