Establishing and increasing professionalism in the fields of substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery support is similar to other health fields of practice. It requires standards, training to support the standards, and testing to ensure appropriate knowledge and competency of service modalities. The Global Centre for Credentialing and Certification (GCCC), formerly known as the International Centre for Credentialing and Education of Addiction Professionals (ICCE), was established in 2009 in response to the long-standing global crisis of inadequate evidence-based programmes and the dearth of trained addiction professionals. The Colombo Plan, under their Drug Advisory Programme (DAP), embarked on this new initiative to develop, expand, and professionalise the field of drug demand reduction as an integral part of the global initiative funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), US Department of State. With a mission to train and credential individuals, GCCC plays its part in the overall goal to professionalise and expand the drug demand reduction workforce. To carry out that mission GCCC has three main functions:
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Curriculum development and updates in collaboration with field experts
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Training in collaboration with UNODC, OAS/CICAD, Governments, and other Education Providers
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Credentialing individuals with standardised exams and work experience