This October, we are very glad to have launched and started the 2024 Uganda Regional Alcohol Policy Series. 

The background of these series is that this policy series will be a recurring virtual event that will be held on Wednesdays starting today, the 9th of October throughout October 2024.

Each session will ideally run from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM (EAT) on Zoom and should any change come up, it will be communicated duly.

The series will focus on the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of alcohol control, with speakers representing various regions of Uganda.

The focus areas of these series are social Justice, Economic Development, Environmental Sustainability.

Our aim is to provide a platform for robust dialogue on how alcohol policies can address regional and national challenges while contributing to Uganda’s sustainable development goals (SDGs).

This series will feature insightful presentations, regional breakaway sessions, and opportunities for networking with policymakers, health professionals, civil society organizations, and regional leaders. The sessions are designed to generate actionable solutions that contribute to alcohol control efforts across Uganda’s diverse regions.

Each week, the sessions will address three key dimensions of alcohol policy:

1. Social Dimension: Focusing on social justice, equity, and cultural norms.

2. Economic Dimension: Tackling taxation, pricing strategies, and economic consequences of alcohol consumption.

3. Environmental Dimension: Exploring the environmental impact of alcohol production, consumption, and disposal.

We had 3 guest speakers for the Northern Uganda region - with Honourable Opio Samuel Acuti representing Kole North delivering a very rich keynote speech. We also listened in from Mr. Drileba Dratibi Daniel, the Executive Director of Voice of Restoration International share experiences from the fields of advocacy and rehabilitation where he oscillates. We also listened in from Mr. Anabo Peter, a psychiatric nurse on how the field of treatment and rehabilitation is handling the alcohol harm scourge in northern Uganda. 

Here is the Zoom link of the recording for the session we conducted. The passcode to access the recording is: 5FFzhs!2

Thank you, and we hope to see you next Wednesday!