The United Nations Headquarters in New York will host the fourth High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and Mental Health on Thursday, September 25.
This gathering will bring together heads of state, ministers, representatives of international organizations, and private sector stakeholders to debate the role of alcohol in public health—and whether it should be regulated with the same severity as tobacco. The discussions will culminate in a Political Declaration that could shape international alcohol policy until 2030 and beyond.
Alcohol and Public Health: The WHO’s Position
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 74% of deaths worldwide are caused by NCDs such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. These conditions share five key risk factors: tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, harmful alcohol use, and air pollution. For this reason, the WHO recommends that the UN pursue higher taxes, stricter regulations, and restrictions on availability for alcohol, similar to policies already applied to tobacco.
Industry and Civil Society Perspectives
The meeting will also hear from the International Association for Responsible Alcohol Consumption (IARD), represented by its President and CEO Julian Braithwaite. IARD, supported by major companies such as AB InBev, Diageo, Heineken, Asahi, and Moët-Hennessy, promotes efforts to reduce harmful drinking and encourage responsible consumption. Braithwaite emphasizes the importance of the 2010 WHO Global Strategy, which targets harmful use of alcohol without advocating for prohibition. He insists that solutions require cooperation between governments, civil society, and the private sector.
By contrast, alcohol control advocacy groups such as Movendi International argue that this approach is insufficient. They reject the concept of “harmful drinking,” claiming that it implies safe drinking exists. Instead, they push for recognition of alcohol as harmful from the first sip—an approach that would enable stricter labelling, taxation, and sales restrictions.
Data and Disputes
The debate also extends to data interpretation. According to WHO statistics, alcohol-attributable mortality declined by 20% between 2010 and 2019, and projections suggest per capita consumption will continue to fall by 2030. Yet abolitionist groups stress that the absolute number of alcohol-related deaths remains high due to global population growth. Critics accuse IARD of selectively presenting data to influence UN policy, while the organization defends its role as an information provider rather than a lobbyist.
A Divisive Political Declaration
Drafting the Political Declaration has been contentious, with three revisions already undertaken under pressure from both public health advocates and industry representatives. The current draft retains the term “harmful drinking” and acknowledges a role for industry, but it falls short of adopting the WHO’s stricter recommendations. For health advocates, this represents a missed opportunity to implement stronger global safeguards.
Meanwhile, voices from the wine world have also weighed in. The Académie Internationale du Vin, an organization of nearly 100 influential figures, has urged governments to resist the most restrictive proposals, arguing that moderate and cultural dimensions of wine consumption should not be undermined.
What Comes Next?
The outcome of Thursday’s meeting will set the tone for global alcohol policy for the next decade. Whether the declaration leans toward stricter regulation, collaborative frameworks, or a compromise between health and industry priorities, its impact will be far-reaching—affecting governments, producers, and consumers alike.
Source: Vinetur