From Science to Action? 100 Years Later, Alcohol Policies Revisited

 

Thematic meeting of the
Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol

Bern, Switzerland, on 26–30 October 2002

A two-day international symposium, entitled From Science to Action? 100 Years Later - Alcohol Policies Revisited, is being held to celebrate the centenary of the establishment of the Swiss Central Agency for Combating Alcoholism - the forerunner of today’s Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems.

The symposium is designed to constitute an international review of how alcohol research has influenced the definition and development of alcohol policies in selected countries. It will review current Swiss alcohol policy in comparison with the policies of 10 other countries and indicate future policy directions. A highlight of the occasion will be the presentation of the 2002 IVO Award for young researchers in the field of addiction and the winner’s acceptance address.

The symposium will be hosted by the Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems, a non-profit, non-governmental organization and a Collaborating Centre for Substance Abuse, Research, Prevention and Documentation of the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe.

The centenary celebration will begin with a series of public events in Lausanne, and these will be followed by the scientific event, the symposium, in Bern, the capital of Switzerland. More and more, the ranks of major alcohol research centres are diminished and national policies are undermined by the forces of globalization and deregulation. A successful symposium will serve as a welcome antidote to these developments.

General outline of the symposium

The first day (“From Science”) will begin with an outline of major changes in alcohol policy paradigms during the past century. This will be followed by a review of the state of the art of alcohol policy research. The second day (“To Action”) will be dedicated to an analysis and delineation of current trends, an extrapolation of future developments, and a consideration of alcohol research in a new political and economic environment.
Roundtable discussions will draw conclusions and provide recommendations to guide the future development of the Swiss National Alcohol Action Plan. This plan has been elaborated and partially implemented jointly by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health and the Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems in its capacity of a WHO collaborating centre.

Speakers

Speakers will include scientists from leading alcohol research centres and representatives of national and international health and alcohol policy organizations, including the WHO Regional Office for Europe (Copenhagen), the European Drug Monitoring Centre (Lisbon), the German Federal Centre for Health Promotion (Cologne), the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, and the Swiss Foundation for Alcohol Research.

This meeting is designed to be of interest to scientists, policy-makers, prevention specialists and health promoters. Swiss alcohol legislation with its unique provisions, such as the alcohol tithe, its historical background and the federalist political model has recently attracted attention among the Newly Independent States of Central Europe. Groups and specialists engaged in day-to-day policy development will also find it of interest.

The scientific program

On the first day of the symposium (“From Science”), contributions will address the socio-economic and historical background of policy development and paradigm shifts extending from the concept of abstinence as a life-style to state interventions changing the climate of alcohol consumption. On the second day (“To Action”), significant changes in national alcohol-control policies are to be discussed from the perspective of the European Union, global liberalization trends, and the objectives of the World Health Organization.
 

Social program

Saturday 26 October: Arrival, welcome meeting-point
Sunday 27 October: Tour options
Monday 28 October: Evening reception by the City and the Canton of Bern; Banquet at the historic Restaurant  zum Äusseren Stand

 Remember

  • Register early for special rates
  • Reserve your hotel room in good time to benefit from the special
    conference rates. Cut-off date: 1 September 2002

 

For program and other details see the SFA-IPSA web site

Date : October 28 - 29, 2002
Place : Kursaal + Hotel Allegro Bern, Switzerland
Language : English and German (with simultaneous translation)

Registration
Hotel
Contact

 

Return to KBS home page