Alcohol is one of the few risk factors for cancer that is entirely preventable, yet the policies that could reduce this burden remain underused. With the release of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Handbook on Alcohol Policy and Cancer Prevention, WHO/Europe and partners are seizing the moment to turn the strongest science into coordinated political action.
To translate this momentum into practice, WHO/Europe, in collaboration with the IARC, will host a 2-day event in Copenhagen focused on advancing alcohol policy for cancer prevention.
- 14 October 2025 10:00–11:30 Central European Summer Time (CEST) – Prevention in focus: Europe’s moment for bold alcohol action. Launch of the IARC Handbook for Cancer Prevention, Volume 20B: Alcohol policies
- 14 October 12:00 CEST – 15 October 17:00 CEST – EVID-Action multistakeholder meeting
The meeting will open with the high-level launch of the IARC Handbook for Cancer Prevention, Volume 20B, on the morning of 14 October. This landmark publication synthesizes the best-available international evidence on the effectiveness of alcohol policy interventions in reducing alcohol use and alcohol-attributable cancer risk. The launch will set the tone for the gathering, grounding policy efforts in rigorous science, political relevance and urgent public health impact.
Building on the momentum of the WHO and IARC webinar series on alcohol policy and cancer prevention, the multistakeholder meeting will:
- strengthen shared understanding of the evidence, focusing on population-level measures that reduce alcohol-related cancer;
- equip stakeholders to anticipate and counter industry narratives, using IARC findings and strategies for political communication;
- foster cohesion across networks, recognizing the power of collective engagement;
- support countries on the verge of breakthrough policy change through knowledge exchange; and
- expand and align messaging across networks, co-creating a shared vision for alcohol policy underpinned by evidence and aligned with the WHO European Framework for Action on Alcohol 2022–2025.
This event will celebrate progress and plan the next cycle of coordinated efforts to address alcohol harm in the European Region. Participants will be invited to move beyond “why” and “what” to focus on “how”: how to implement effective policies, how to communicate with impact and how to overcome resistance.
The meeting will bring together the full WHO/European Union Evidence into Action Alcohol project community: Member State focal points, the Youth Alcohol Network, civil society organizations, the European Health Alliance on Alcohol, and researchers. As a “network of networks”, participants will leverage shared strength to deliver real-world change.
The high-level launch of the IARC Handbook for Cancer Prevention, Volume 20B will be streamed online. Please register to join the event.
The multistakeholder meeting is by invitation only.