WHO Collaborating Centre on Alcohol Policy Implementation and Evaluation

Health and Well-Being Promotion Unit at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare was designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre on Alcohol Policy Implementation and Evaluation by the World Health Organization in November 2012.

The Collaborating Centre is a follow-up on the long-standing collaboration between WHO and THL and its predecessors to promote public health.

Purpose and goals

One of the key tasks of the Collaborating Centre is to contribute to the evaluation and implementation of the Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. The centre will also support member states in regulating access to alcoholic beverages and in preventing alcohol harms at local level. Furthermore, it will be developing global indicators for comprehensive alcohol policies. 

The Collaborating Centre will also endorse high impact strategies to reduce the harmful use of alcohol and related health, social and economic consequences as included in the SAFER initiative. SAFER is an alcohol control initiative derived from the Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol and the strategies it includes are: Strengthen restrictions on alcohol availability; Advance and enforce drink driving counter measures; 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.

This WHO Collaborating Centre is headed by Thomas Karlsson, Chief Specialist and Leader of the Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco -team at the Health and Well-Being Promotion Unit at THL.