About
SAFER partners
The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with international partners, launched the SAFER initiative in 2018 alongside the United Nations third high-level meeting on prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). SAFER was developed
to deliver health and development gains in order to meet global, regional and country health and development goals and targets and to reduce human suffering and pain caused by the harmful use of alcohol.
The objective of the initiative is to provide support for Member States in reducing the harmful use of alcohol by strengthening the ongoing implementation of the Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol, the Global alcohol action plan and other WHO and United Nations instruments – including WHO’s Global action plan for the prevention and control of NCDs2 and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target 3.5 (i.e. Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol).
There is a substantial knowledge available about the magnitude of alcohol related harm and effective interventions to reduce this harm. Key decisions have been made in WHO and in UN to give alcohol a high priority globally and to implement effective solutions; it is time to deliver. Thus SAFER will be focusing on the most cost-effective priority interventions (“best buys”) using a set of WHO tools and resources to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harm:
Strengthen restrictions on alcohol availability
Advance and enforce drink driving countermeasures
Facilitate access to screening, brief interventions, and treatment
Enforce bans or comprehensive restrictions on alcohol advertising, sponsorship, and promotion
Raise prices on alcohol through excise taxes and pricing policies
SAFER consists of three components working together to support delivery of the WHO “best buys” and the WHO global alcohol strategy:
1. A WHO-led package of technical guidance on effective policy and program interventions.
2. A WHO/UN-led operational programme focusing on country action.
3. A multi-stakeholder communications and advocacy campaign
The implementation of the five SAFER interventional will be led by the relevant Member States and the Global SAFER initiative will be coordinated and managed by WHO Headquarters and its regional and country offices in collaboration with UNDP and the United Nations Interagency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of NCDs and with strong involvement from participating Member States and civil society organizations. The Global Alcohol Policy Alliance, Movendi International, the NCD Alliance and Vital Strategies are already committed to coordinating civil society engagement in promoting and implementing SAFER
All activities under SAFER will require approval by WHO in accordance with the WHO Framework for Engagement with Non-State actors. All partners of the SAFER initiative will be ambassadors of the program and will hold a responsibility to advocate and promote the initiative both collectively and individually.
