WHO Expert Committee on Problems Related to Alcohol Consumption

An expert committee is an international group of experts that provides WHO with the latest scientific and technical advice on a broad range of medical and public health subjects. Members of such expert groups are all drawn from the expert advisory panels and serve in their personal capacities rather than as representatives of governments or other bodies. Their views do not necessarily reflect the decisions or the stated policy of WHO. Membership of an expert committee lasts only for the duration of the meeting.

A resolution adopted at the Fifty-eighth World Health Assembly requested the Director-General "to report to the Sixtieth World Health Assembly on evidence-based strategies and interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm, including a comprehensive assessment of public-health problems caused by harmful use of alcohol", and to "draw up recommendations for effective policies and interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm" (resolution WHA58.26).

To this end, a WHO Expert Committee on Problems Related to Alcohol Consumption met in Geneva from 10-13 October 2006. The main objectives of the Expert Committee meeting were to review a range of public health problems attributable to alcohol consumption as well as scientific and empirical evidence of effectiveness of different policy options, and to provide technical recommendations on effective policies and interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm.