THEME - Advocacy in Action
"Advocacy is a political process by an individual or group which aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions. Advocacy can include many activities that a person or organization undertakes including media campaigns, public speaking, commissioning and publishing research or conducting exit poll or the filing of an amicus brief. Lobbying (often by lobby groups) is a form of advocacy where a direct approach is made to legislators on an issue which plays a significant role in modern politics." WIKIPEDIA
In our member countries
The strength and tradition of civil society in Nordic and Baltic countries differ quite a lot. With a longstanding and uninterrupted experience from the Temperance Movement in Nordic countries and with 50 years of Soviet regime that banned anykind of civil society action in Baltic countries, the picture is really diverse.
NordAN has 90 member organisations in all of the Nordic and Baltic countries. This network has a huge wealth of experience that can be shared to improve the work we have undertaken.
Riga conference thrives to be a meetingplace for public health professionals from both NGO and governmental sector. We will have a special plenary for our member organisations to share their advocacy in action.
Industrial epidemics! What to learn from the tobacco experience
Based on the latest cancer statistics, after tobacco, alcohol is one of the most important lifestyle-related risk factors for cancer. Alcohol has been identified as a leading risk factor for death and disability globally, accounting for 3.8% of death and 4.6% of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) lost.
Even though we know what works in reducing these harms opposition from vested interest groups such as the alcohol-beverage industry and associated sectors (e.g. the advertising industry) that benefit from the status quo is a strong force in forming global alcohol policy.
When we think of other social problems, like for instance HIV/AIDS there is nobody who is interested in extending this problem. With legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco, there are huge industries that work to protect their financial interests. What to learn from fight against tobacco lobby and how to implement that knowledge into advocacy?
Alcohol related harm and alcohol policy in Latvia
The growing evidence and Global Burden of Disease Study suggests alcohol use is among the most harmful risk factors for death and disability globally. In Baltic States alcohol use ranks the major preventable health risk factor among men and women aged 15–49. These include deaths caused directly by chronic alcohol use as well as those, especially among youth and adults, due to acute alcohol intoxication, e.g. deaths due to road traffic accidents and other types of injuries. In Latvia there are more than one thousand deaths annually due to alcohol use, which with appropriate measures could be prevented. Several studies suggest that only about 1 in 10 of those in need for an intervention to reduce alchol use in Latvia get the service they need (wthether it is a brief intervention, structured treatment or prevention).
Over the last decades Latvia has undergone major societal and economic changes and has shown suppoort for developing aclohol policies that aim to reduce harms from alcohol use for public good. Nevertheless there is a long way ahead with local and global alcohol industry’s watchdogs putting their economic interests and vast profits before public interests and well-being of the country. The conference’s theme «Advocay in action» aims to gather researchers, civil society members and decision makers to learn from the experience of other areas such as tobacco control for a comprehensive evidence-based alcohol policy in the region free from economic interests of the industry.