Nepal partners with WHO to implement SAFER Initiative

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Launch of the SAFER Initiative in Nepal. Photo Credit: WHO Nepal/S.G.Amatya

Nepal today formally launched its partnership with WHO and other partners to implement SAFER, an alcohol control initiative, for the prevention and reduction of alcohol-related harm and deaths. With this, the country will now scale up action to implement high-impact and cost-effective strategies and interventions in accordance with Nepal's alcohol control priorities.

The first phase of the partnership will include conducting an assessment of the problem of harmful use of alcohol in Nepal and the current alcohol control policy, programming, and coordination mechanisms. Through desk-based reviews and stakeholder consultations, WHO and partners will identify challenges and opportunities to strengthen the implementation of proven, cost-effective alcohol control measures.

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Representatives from the Ministry of Health and Population at the launch of the SAFER Initiative in Nepal. Photo Credit: WHO Nepal/S.G.Amatya

This will then be followed by a joint mission led by the Government of Nepal and the SAFER Initiative. The mission will engage with a wide range of governmental ministries, particularly those responsible for alcohol pricing and tax policy, licensing, distribution, and sale of alcohol, regulating commercial communications on alcohol, drink–driving policy, health services for early identification, brief interventions, and treatment of alcohol use disorders, among others. The mission will also engage with parliamentarians, civil society organizations including alcohol control advocates, academics, and professional associations. It will then develop and implement a multi-agency and multisectoral roadmap for implementation over 12 – 24 months to enable significant progress in scaling up Nepal’s response to the harmful use of alcohol.

The Government of Nepal will work with the SAFER Initiative and other international, national and local partners to strengthen the development and implementation of priority interventions as guided by the Multisectoral Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2021-2025 (MSAP II). Activities, roles, and responsibilities will be specified in the roadmap and may include technical assistance, research partnerships, and follow-up missions.

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Local SAFER partners at the launch of the SAFER Initiative in Nepal. Photo Credit: WHO Nepal/S.G.Amatya

The SAFER interventions will strengthen restrictions on alcohol availability; advance and enforce drink-driving countermeasures; facilitate access to screening and treatment; enforce bans or restrictions on alcohol advertising, sponsorship, and promotion; and raise prices through various policies.

WHO, Country Office for Nepal, will support to scale up actions to implement the evidence-based and cost-effective interventions, which are in accordance with Nepal’s alcohol control priorities as per MSAP II, Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol, the WHO Global NCD Action Plan (2013-2020), and the Sustainable Development Goals.

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Dr Rajesh Sambhajirao Pandav, WHO Representative to Nepal, at the launch of the SAFER Initiative in Nepal. Photo Credit: WHO Nepal/S.G.Amatya

WHO Representative to Nepal, Dr Rajesh Sambhajirao Pandav, said: "We are proud to support the Ministry of Health and Population in taking practical steps to address the harmful use of alcohol through the implementation of the SAFER initiative which has the potential to save thousands of lives. I am also hopeful that this partnership will help catalyze much-needed action in protecting the people of Nepal from harmful use of alcohol."

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Dr Gampo Dorji, Team Lead for Noncommunicable Diseases at the WHO, Country Office for Nepal, presenting at the launch of the SAFER Initiative in Nepal. Photo Credit: WHO Nepal/S.G.Amatya

The SAFER Nepal partnership is led by the Government of Nepal and WHO, in close collaboration with local and SAFER partners, including UNIATF Secretariat, UNDP, Movendi International, NCD Alliance, Vital Strategies, and the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance.

About SAFER Initiative:

WHO, in collaboration with international partners, launched the SAFER Initiative at the United Nations General Assembly in 2018. The objective of the initiative is to support Member States in their efforts to reduce the harmful use of alcohol by strengthening the implementation of effective and cost-effective interventions to reduce the harmful use of alcohol in line with the Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol,[1] the WHO Global NCD Action Plan, 2013-2020,[2] and the Sustainable Development Goals. The SAFER package includes five interventions and three strategies[3] to help ensure effective implementation.

[1] Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. WHO (2010):

[2] Global NCD Action Plan, 2013-2020. WHO (2013): https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241506236.

[3] The SAFER interventions are 1) restrictions on the availability of alcohol; 2) drink-driving countermeasures; 3) screening, brief interventions, and treatment; 4) bans or comprehensive restrictions on advertising, promotion, and sponsorship; and 5) raising prices of alcohol. The SAFER strategies are: 1) robust implementation; 2) monitoring, evaluation, and reporting; and 3) protecting policymaking from industry influence.