By Kitts D Mabonga
CAPE TOWN/SOUTH AFRICA
All the United Nations member states have resolved to devise means of regulating the consumption of alcohol and related substances in a bid to reduce the escalating cases of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD).
The new development came to light recently during the 7th high level Global Alcohol policy Alliance conference [GAPCA] in Cape Town south Africa under the theme ‘Investing in People Before Profits, Building the Momentum Towards the Framework Convention on Alcohol Control’ which brought together policy makers, diplomats, medical experts, NCDA civil society organizations, researchers and media respectively.
The delegates were drawn from Africa, Asia, Middle East, Australia, USA, Europe and South America among other regions.
The delegates reportedly discussed many emerging issues related to the subject matter and came up with key resolutions aimed at reducing the burden facing endemic countries that heavily consume alcohol products.
Some of them include the resolution that each member state should regulate consumption of alcohol by imposing higher taxes on all related products as a deliberate strategy to restrict reckless consumption and ensuring that the recovered taxes are injected into the healthcare systems to treat the medical conditions resulting from over consumption of the products.
A source which preferred not to be named separately told East African Gazette that while discussing statistics from consumption of alcohol, Uganda was reportedly listed at position 4 at the global ranking while on the African continent it was listed as champion which development calls for tougher measures to curb these statistics.
The delegates reportedly expressed deep concern about the negative consequences brought about by over consumption of alcohol such as loss of both lives and resources as a result of loss of economic productivity, increase in household poverty, disease burden of treating victims of alcohol which directly puts a strain on the economies of affected countries.
Statistics
According to the latest statistics, South Africans are among the heaviest drinkers in the ranked sixth in the world in terms of the amount of alcohol consumed per drinker per day on average
Others countries with the highest alcohol consumption include, Seychelles has the highest alcohol consumption per capita African countries at 9.48, Tanzania, Eswatini, Burkina Faso,
These countries have varying levels of alcohol consumption, but they all rank among the top alcohol-consuming nations in Africa.
Alcohol is one of the world’s oldest and most culturally recreational substances, but consumption levels and types depend on the location
The Ugandan delegation included a technical team from the ministry of health, the NCDA sector members of parliament, Uganda WHO and UN sector family country representatives and the Uganda country NCDA executive director Christopher Kwizera among others.
The global conference according to Kwizera, came at a time when Parliament recently received the draft bill spearheaded by the Tororo woman MP Sarah Opendi which is now at committee level as both health and trade committees need to polish it for final debate on the floor of parliament given that Uganda currently has no law on access, control and use of alcohol products.
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The conference resolutions as listed below;
At the end of the 7th biennial global alcohol policy conference (GAPC) which was hosted by the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance (GAPA), the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance (SAAPA), and the Department of Social Development (DSD) held in Cape Town from 24 to 26 October, delegates endorsed the following declarant.
“We, the 521 participants from 55 countries gathered at the 7th Global Alcohol Policy Conference in Cape Town, South Africa
Recognizing alcohol’s significant role in the global burden of disease and as a major barrier to achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,
Call on our national governments to recognize the alcohol industry’s conflict of interest with effective alcohol policies and establish clear rules separating the industry from engagement with policy development.
Call on WHO Member States to direct the WHO Director-General and other intergovernmental organizations to: study the necessity and feasibility of a legally binding instrument to strengthen the public health response to alcohol consumption and related harm, through consultation with nation states and civil society, and report the findings through the Executive Board to the World Health Assembly