Alcohol use is a leading cause of preventable death and disability worldwide. It is one of the world’s largest risk factors for death and disability. Alcohol taxes, like all health taxes, are considered to be a ‘triple-win’ for governments in that they can lead to improved population health, increased government revenues, and a reduction in health inequality. This document supports policymakers and other stakeholders to implement alcohol taxes more effectively, with a focus on the political economy of alcohol taxation and on how policy processes are shaped at a national level.

Food systems and diets underpin many critical challenges to public health and environmental sustainability, including malnutrition, noncommunicable diseases, and climate change, but sustainable healthy diets have the unique potential to reshape the future for both human and planetary well-being. The 2024 Global Food Policy Report draws on recent evidence to examine the role of food systems in driving nutrition outcomes and opportunities for transforming food systems to ensure healthy diets for all. Chapters by IFPRI researchers and partners evaluate proven and innovative ways to sustainably improve diet quality and reduce malnutrition, including ways to make healthy diets more affordable, accessible, and desirable, how to improve food environments, the role of both agricultural crops and animal-source foods, and governance for better diets and nutrition, all with a major focus on the most vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries. Regional sections explore the diverse challenges countries face and promising policy responses for transforming food systems for sustainable healthy diets.

The Global status report on alcohol and health and treatment of substance use disorders presents a comprehensive overview of alcohol consumption, alcohol-related harm and policy responses as well as treatment capacities for alcohol and drug use disorders worldwide. The report is based on data collected by WHO from Member States and organized in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals health target 3.5 which calls on countries to strengthen “the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol”. The chapter on alcohol and health continues the series of WHO global status reports on alcohol and health and presents the latest available data on the status of, and trends in, alcohol consumption, as well as estimates of the alcohol-attributable disease burden and descriptions of policy responses worldwide. On the basis of data collected from countries on the treatment of substance use disorders the report describes the status of key components of treatment responses to alcohol and drug use disorders and proposes a new service capacity index for these disorders as an additional contextual indicator for monitoring progress in this domain of SDG health target 3.5. The report concludes with broad directions for international action to accelerate progress towards achievement of SDG health target 3.5.

Tobacco use is the single largest cause of preventable death globally, killing more than five million people each year. Tobacco use also creates considerable economic costs, from greater spending on health care to treat the diseases it brings on in users and those exposed to tobacco smoke to the lost productivity resulting from the premature deaths it causes. Of all the many interventions for reducing tobacco use, a significant increase in tobacco product taxes and prices has been demonstrated to be the single most effective and cost-effective intervention, particularly among the poor and the young. At the same time, because of the inelasticity of demand for tobacco products in most countries and the low share of tax in price in many, significant increases in tobacco taxes generate significant increases in the revenues generated by these taxes. This technical manual aims to help governments achieve both objectives by identifying a set of "best practices" for tobacco taxation. It documents governments' existing approaches to tobacco taxation, discusses barriers to using tobacco taxes to achieve health and revenue objectives, and provides case studies of effective tobacco tax administration. This manual is intended to be useful to tax administrators at the Ministry of Finance level by making them aware of the practices used and challenges faced by other countries. It will also be useful to officials in a country's Ministry of Health or similar organizations by providing them with a more thorough understanding of key issues in tax structure and administration.

In 2021, over 350 000 individuals died from tobacco use and second-hand smoke in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Over 40% of respiratory cancers in LAC were attributable to tobacco use, and the smoking-attributable medical costs can reach up to 1.5% of GDP per year. The total social and economic costs of tobacco use significantly outweigh the tobacco tax revenue that is raised. The OECD Report “Tobacco Taxation in Latin America and the Caribbean” finds that countries in LAC have significant scope to improve the effectiveness of their tobacco tax policies and administration in order to reduce the prevalence and societal costs of tobacco use. The Report examines the trends and effects of tobacco consumption, analyses tobacco tax revenue, provides an extensive overview of tobacco tax policy design in the region, discusses the need for tobacco tax reform and offers tobacco tax policy recommendations. The Report also provides detailed information on tobacco taxation in 18 countries in LAC (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay).

To amplify the stark reality of the disease burden from this ‘silent killer’, WHO produced a Global report on hypertension. This comprehensive report features unsettling statistics underscoring the far-reaching consequences of uncontrolled hypertension – ranging from heart attacks, strokes and premature death to substantial economic loss. Moreover, the report offers a country-by-country snapshot of hypertension burden and control. The report not only serves as an eye-opener but also shows the way forward for countries to protect their people, highlighting the tremendous strides made in managing the disease, and drawing insights from the implementation of the WHO HEARTS package. Additionally, it equips countries with essential tools to enhance hypertension prevention, control and surveillance, thereby offering a roadmap towards a healthier future.

Every year, the harmful use of alcohol kills 2.5 million people, including 320,000 young people between 15 and 29 years of age. It is the eighth leading risk factor for deaths globally, and harmful use of alcohol was responsible for almost 4% of all deaths in the world, according to the estimates for 2004. In addition to the resolution, a global strategy developed by WHO in close collaboration with Member States provides a portfolio of policy options and interventions for implementation at the national level with the goal to reduce the harmful use of alcohol worldwide. Ten recommended target areas for policy options include health services' responses, community action, pricing policies and reducing the public health impact of illicit alcohol and informally produced alcohol. WHO was also requested to support countries in implementing the strategy and monitor progress at global, regional and national levels.