Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and alcohol
On 25 September 2015, United Nations Member States adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda (Box 1.1). The new United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and consist of 17 goals with 169 targets that all 193 United Nations Member States have agreed to try to achieve by the year 2030.
The harmful use of alcohol is one of the leading risk factors for population health worldwide and has a direct impact on many health-related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including those for maternal and child health, infectious diseases (HIV, viral hepatitis, tuberculosis), noncommunicable diseases and mental health, injuries and poisonings. Alcohol production and consumption is highly relevant to many other goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
SDG health target 3.5 – “Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol”.
The UN statistical division has developed of a set of indicators for the SDG targets and two indicators are agreed for the target 3.5 on substance abuse:
3.5.1 Coverage of treatment interventions (pharmacological, psychosocial and rehabilitation and aftercare services) for substance use disorders, and
