Event highlights
11 April 2024
On 6 March 2024, members of the Danish Ministry of Health, the Danish Health Authority, and civil society organizations came together at the UN City in Copenhagen to exchange information and collectively advocate for a healthier, more informed world by addressing the root causes of alcohol harm, with a focus on making tangible impacts. As part of the meeting, the Danish Ministry of Health presented Denmark’s new alcohol and nicotine prevention plan, and participants collaboratively explored ways to take elements of the plan forward.
In addition to the Danish stakeholders, WHO/Europe invited Nijole Gostautaite Midttun, President of the Lithuanian Tobacco and Alcohol Control Coalition, to talk about the history of alcohol control policies in Lithuania, the only country that has implemented all 3 WHO best buys for alcohol control, resulting in an immediate increase in life expectancy of Lithuanians.
Listed below are some of the presentation highlights and key outcomes of the group discussions.
- Exploring alcohol control in Lithuania gave the participants an understanding of the successes and challenges that were often common in Lithuania and Denmark.
- Presentations by the civil society organizations showed the importance of addressing cultures and narratives of normalizing alcohol, not only among youth, but also their parents.
- To take forward the new alcohol and nicotine prevention plan, the group discussed novel and creative ways of better utilizing data in municipalities, limiting the availability of alcohol, and ways to involve the youth to create healthier, alcohol-free environments not just for them, but with them.
Event notice
6 March 2024
Alcohol is a key risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), injuries and other conditions. Alcohol consumption and harms are a topic of major concern in Denmark, where heavy episodic drinking patterns among young people and related deaths present a particular challenge.
On 6 March 2024, the Alcohol, Illicit Drugs and Prison Health Programme of WHO/Europe will convene stakeholders working in public health with an interest in alcohol and prevention of NCDs in Denmark, to provide an informal space for information exchange and networking with the long-term goal of expanding their collaboration.
In this meeting, invited stakeholders will:
- receive an update on WHO/Europe’s priorities and plans, including an introduction to the European Framework for Action on Alcohol 2022–2025, and the WHO/EU Evidence into Action Alcohol project (EVID-ACTION) and discuss the relevance of this document in the context of Denmark;
- present and discuss ongoing projects, happening or planned in Denmark, particularly in the areas of communications, youth engagement, and alcohol and cancer, and network with other relevant stakeholders;
- explore opportunities for further collaboration, with a particular focus on implementation opportunities and synergies linked to Denmark’s new prevention plan on alcohol and nicotine products; and
- discuss and explore opportunities for action that is required to change the narrative on alcohol control in Denmark.
The working language of the meeting will be English.
If you are working in an organization based in Denmark that is interested in alcohol and public health and would like to attend the event, please reach out to Aleksandra Olsen (alolsen@who.int) for registration.