Global Actions on Harmful Drinking held a landmark event last week, as our country coordinators convened in Washington, DC. At the headquarters for the International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP; www.icap.org), the lead implementing organization for Global Actions, they offered updates on Global Actions efforts in partnership with local stakeholders. Highlights of the week-long event included:
- Mario Lleras presented an overview of the road safety situation in Colombia, ICAP’s partnership with the Fondo de prevenciĆ³n vial, and opportunities to highlight good practices on drink driving in cities across Colombia.
- James Yu explained that Drink Driving initiatives in China are making progress, citing his recent meeting with local coordinators in Nanjing, Xi’an and Wuhan.
- Lan Huong Nguyen was enthusiastic about progress in Vietnam, thanks to securing the participation of key local partners, including Vietnam’s National Traffic Safety Committee.
- Mariana Rendon spoke of her strides in Mexico, and her plans to co-sponsor a capacity-building training summit in July while continuing to raise public awareness of Jalisco’s “Ley Salvavidas.”
- Country manager Olanrewaju Onigbogi has set up his Global Actions Nigeria office in Lagos and discussed plans for three capacity-building workshops to be held in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) later this year.
- The Global Actions team also met with ICAP regional coordinators working to support the efforts of Member States engaged in implementing the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. Denise Bussio, Regional Coordinator Latin America, and David Binar, Regional Coordinator Europe, shared their perspectives on government responsibility and strengthening existing industry self-regulation codes.
