European agreement on actions to reduce alcohol harm to young people

Citation

(2001), "European agreement on actions to reduce alcohol harm to young people", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 14 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2001.06214dab.002

European agreement on actions to reduce alcohol harm to young people

European agreement on actions to reduce alcohol harm to young peopleKeywords: Alcohol, Young people, Health, Europe

In February, European Health Ministers and other participants including young people, at the WHO Ministerial Conference on Young People and Alcohol in Stockholm, agreed on actions to reduce harm from alcohol and protect public health.

Representatives of all 51 countries in the WHO European Region agreed on ten specific common targets to be achieved by 2006. All countries, as appropriate in their differing cultures and social, legal and economic environments, will aim to:

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  reduce substantially the number of young people who start consuming alcohol;

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  delay the age of the onset of drinking by young people;

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  reduce substantially the occurrence and frequency of high-risk drinking among young people, especially adolescents and young adults;

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  provide and/or expand meaningful alternatives to alcohol and drug use and increase education and training for those who work with young people;

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  increase young people's involvement in youth health-related policies, especially alcohol-related issues;

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  increase education on alcohol for young people;

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  minimise the pressures on young people to drink, especially in relation to alcohol promotions, free distributions, advertising, sponsorship and availability, with particular emphasis on special events;

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  support actions against the illegal sale of alcohol;

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  ensure and/or increase access to’health and counselling services, especially for young people with’alcohol problems and/or alcohol-dependent parents or family’members;

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  reduce substantially alcohol-related’harm, especially accidents, assaults and violence, and particularly as experienced by young people.

The Conference Declaration will inform the policy agenda for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children, to be held in September 2001, with UNICEF serving as secretariat.

For further information, please contact’Mr Cees Goos, Alcohol, Drugs’and’Tobacco, WHO Regional Office’for’Europe,’Scherfigsvej, 8, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. Tel: (4) 5 39 17 15 01; E-mail: cgo@who.dk

More information about the Conference is available at http://www.youngalcohol.who.dk