Paragraph 3.d of decision WHA72(11) requests the WHO Director-General to “to report to the Seventy-third World Health Assembly in 2020, through the Executive Board, on the implementation of WHO’s global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol during the first decade since its endorsement, and the way forward”. During the discussions at the 72nd World Health Assembly, the WHO Director-General committed that “the report will be elaborated in full consultation and engagement with Member States” and requested that this be reflected accordingly in the official records.
In response to decision WHA72(11), the process which the WHO Secretariat will follow to develop the report is as follows:
- 27-28 June 2019: Discussions during the Second WHO Forum on alcohol, drugs and addictive behaviours (Geneva, 27-28 June 2019) with Member States, NGOs and academic institutions on the implementation of the WHO Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol;
- 1 July – 15 September 2019: Data collection from Member States (through WHO Regional and Country Offices) on the implementation of the WHO Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol (within the framework of the Global survey on progress towards SDG target 3.5);
- 15 September – 15 October 2019: Regional consultations with Member States on the implementation of the WHO global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol since its endorsement, and the way forward, and validation of country information collected through the above-mentioned survey;
- 30 September 2019: WHO Secretariat will submit a preliminary report on the implementation of WHO’s global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol during the first decade since its endorsement, and the way forward, to WHO Governing Bodies Secretariat (GBS) summarizing the findings until 30 September 2019;
- 15 October – 21 October 2019: WHO Secretariat will develop a discussion paper on the implementation of the WHO global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol since its endorsement, and the way forward;
- 21 October – 4 November 2019: Web-based consultation on a discussion paper dated 21 October 2019 on the implementation of the WHO global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol since its endorsement, and the way forward. The web-based consultation will be open to Member States, UN organizations and other international organizations, and non-State actors. All relevant feedback received will be published on this website;
- 11 November 2019: Informal consultation with Member States on the discussion paper dated 21 October 2019;
- 12 November 2019: WHO Secretariat will submit an Addendum 1 on the implementation of WHO’s global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol during the first decade since its endorsement, and the way forward, to WHO Governing Bodies Secretariat (GBS) summarizing the findings between 30 September 2019 and 14 November 2019;
- 3-8 February 2020: The 146th session of the WHO Executive Board will consider the report of the WHO Director-General on the implementation of WHO’s global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol during the first decade since its endorsement, and the way forward, and will be invited to provide further guidance;
- 17-21 May 2020: Taking into account the guidance provided by the 146th session of the WHO Executive Board, the 73rd World Health Assembly will be invited to consider the same or an updated report.