Unrecognized Catalyst to Development: The Neglected Role of Alcohol Policy in the Americas’ Sustainable Development Goal Progress
Research paper
Abstract
Objective
In 2015, 193 nations adopted the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Alcohol was included as a specific focus in target 3.5, highlighting its relevance in the global development agenda. It is also recognized as a cross-cutting issue and a barrier to achieving several SDGs.
The researchers aimed to examine in this research how countries in the Americas reported on alcohol use, alcohol-related harms, and alcohol policy measures in their efforts to meet the SDGs.
Method
The researchers conducted a content analysis of Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) presented at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) between 2016 and 2022.
Results
The study sample included 54 documents from 32 countries.
More than half (57%) of the reports from 21 countries made reference to alcohol. Most of these references appeared under SDG 3, especially target 3.5.
Only six countries referred to alcohol as a cross-cutting issue.
Conclusions
Reducing alcohol consumption – a leading cause of death and disability in the Americas – was not frequently acknowledged in the VNRs. Many countries may be missing an opportunity to highlight their efforts. More likely, however, they fail to recognize alcohol as a critical public health issue that must be addressed to achieve the SDGs.
Comments from the researchers
Countries in the Americas have yet to fully recognize and respond to alcohol use and its harms as a pressing public health challenge, one that also impedes progress toward several SDGs.
Efforts to advance alcohol policy remain insufficiently prioritized within global and national agendas, even for interventions that are scientifically proven to be cost-effective.”
Daniela Pantani
Ten years into the SDGs, governments across the Americas are still foregoing a huge opportunity to drive progress. Alcohol policy remains an unrecognized catalyst for sustainable development – despite its proven potential to advance health, equality, and economic well-being.
As my 2022 study in the European region showed, the same critical conclusion holds true for countries in the Americas: neglecting alcohol policy means overlooking one of the most effective tools to accelerate progress toward the SDGs.”
Kristína Šperková
This paper offers the first systematic analysis of how countries in the Americas have addressed alcohol within their Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) commitments – an area that had not been explored before.
Despite alcohol being a major driver of death, disability, and social harm in the region, the study reveals that it is rarely acknowledged in national SDG reporting. Even when mentioned, few countries highlight concrete or evidence-based policy actions. By exposing this gap between global recognition and national implementation, the paper sheds light on a missed opportunity: integrating effective alcohol control into the broader development agenda could accelerate progress toward multiple SDGs and strengthen public health across the region.”
Ilana Pinsky
Research in context
The findings of this study show that most European countries fail to consider alcohol as obstacle to multiple other SDGs than health in the design of measures to achieve these goals.
To make matters worse, inaccurate language related to alcohol harm indicates a gap in understanding of the extent of the alcohol burden and the consequences for sustainable development. So does the choice of ineffective measures to reduce alcohol consumption.