THEME - Alcohol, drugs and media scene!
Finland, our meeting place this year, has made recently a groundbreaking decision to ban alcohol advertising in social media. How is it done and what other countries could learn from this? How is internet used by the alcohol industry but also how could health advocates better use this important and in most cases free resource? These are some of the questions that we are going to focus in this Conference. Join us and add your questions and solutions.



Looking forward to UNGASS 2016
The UN General Assembly will hold a Special Session (UNGASS) on drugs in 2016. This Special Session will be an important milestone in achieving the goals set in the policy document of 2009 "Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem", which defined action to be taken by Member States as well as goals to be achieved by 2019.
The General Assembly has requested the CND, as the United Nations organ with the prime responsibility for drug control matters, to engage in the preparatory process for the UNGASS. In response to this request, the Commission adopted resolution 57/5, entitled "Special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem to be held in 2016", in which it decided to ensure an adequate, inclusive and effective preparatory process for the 2016 Special Session.
Conference will held a special workshop dedicated to drug issues hosted by the World Federation Against Drugs.
Markku Soikkeli´s Remembrance seminar
Plenary 2 of the Helsinki Conference will be a Markku Soikkeli´s Remembrance seminar.
"In memoriam: Markku Soikkeli 1951–2014
The terrible news came to us like a bolt from the blue in the midst of a most beautiful summer: Markku Soikkeli, an advocate for humane alcohol and drug policy, died in a kayak accident with his wife Riitta in the Helsinki costal area. Markku was a central figure of several years' standing in Finnish substance abuse prevention work and also internationally distinguished. We lost a remarkable expert, colleague and a friend.
Markku was truly upright in his thinking and actions. He always put the issue and facts before any other interests. Alcohol marketing was a case in point: children’s benefit before commercial interests.
Ethical issues and humane drug policy were at his heart. He was always ready to share his expertise, to listen and to discuss. And he was also ready to revise his thinking if faced with well-grounded arguments. As a colleague Markku was a kind and humane public servant with a great sense of humour.
Markku contributed strongly to European drug prevention quality standards and also to UN drug prevention standards – not to mention the Finnish drug prevention quality standards. He wrote the first EU drug policy strategy.
Markku’s work was counterbalanced by his passion for kayaking. He would say: “When you are en route, you are already at the destination. My lifeline is the line that a kayak leaves behind.”
Markku, we miss you so!"
Tuomas Tenkanen
Alcohol marketing and media scene 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.
We have countries that have a total ban on alcohol advertising, others where alcohol marketing is limited more than in most European countries and we have also states where alcohol advertising is a major concern. The so called New Media (which is now here to stay) has opened new areas of concern and regulation has lost the control.
NordAN has over 80 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.
Helsinki conference thrives to be a meetingplace for public health professionals from both NGO, research and governmental sector. We plan to map the media scene, find most problematic factors and look for answers and solutions.