Meanwhile, countries consistently report barriers to effective action. Minimal resources have been devoted to implementing the global alcohol strategy at WHO’s headquarters or regional offices, resulting in insufficient technical assistance to support meaningful action. In the open-ended questions at the end of the 2015 survey, 15 countries out of 138 reported lack of coordination, including absence of a coordinating agency, and nine reported lack of data and monitoring systems. In locations without such leadership, coordination and systems, the most effective interventions, which are often technically complex, can be difficult to implement. Several countries (10 out of 138) mentioned interference by the alcohol industry. The interventions generally face significant opposition from the alcoholic beverages industry, as evidenced by the industry’s years of opposition to Scotland’s ultimately successful efforts to implement minimum unit pricing.
