UNODC promotes the dialogue on drug demand reduction across Central Asia at ISSUP Abu Dhabi 2022 Conference
Within the framework of UNODC global project GLOJ71”Treating drug dependence and its health consequences: Treatnet II” UNODC ROCA in collaboration with Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Section (PTRS) HQ supported participation of 19 members of country delegations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the work of Conference “Uniting the global community to face the challenge of addiction” organized by International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) held 11-16 May 2022 in Aby-Dhabi, UAE.
The main goals of the Conference were to introduce the latest developments in the field of drug use prevention and treatment of drug use disorders as well as provide opportunity for addiction professionals from all over the world to meet and exchange experiences.
As part of the Conference, a UNODC Central Asian Governments Symposium on Substance Use was held to strengthen collaboration and exchange among countries in the region and between national counterparts, international organizations, and relevant NGOs in Central Asia.
The Symposium gave each country the opportunity to report on their progress and efforts with the implementation of drug demand reduction activities over the last years. The meeting aimed at promoting the dialogue between countries from the region and with broader networks. Relevant international organizations and NGOs, working in the region, were able to interact and share their work and available tools with stakeholders from Central Asia. Future opportunities for collaboration on prevention and treatment of drug use disorders in the region were also discussed.
As part of the conference, on 12 May 2022, members of country delegations attended the official opening ceremony of the ISSUP Abu Dhabi 2022 Conference “Uniting the global community to face the challenge of addiction”.
On 13 May 2022, work of the Symposium started with country presentations on “Drug use prevention and drug use disorder treatment systems as well as an overview of national standards for the treatment of drug use disorders”. The next session was devoted to country presentations on “WHO/UNODC Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facility Survey results”. The day was concluded by a regional overview made by Ms. Anja Busse, Global Treatnet Project Coordinator, UNODC PTRS followed by country presentations on “UNODC-WHO Stop-Overdose-Safely (S-O-S) project implementation and results in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan”.
Topics covered on the second day of the Symposium (14 May 2022) included “UNODC’s efforts in delivering evidence-based drug prevention programmes in Central Asia: successful experiences of working with families and overview of available tools and programmes”, “UNODC Drug Use Disorder Treatment Services Quality Assurance Tools in Central Asia: sharing success stories and “Successful experience of introducing Universal Treatment Curriculum for Substance Use Disorders (UTC training package) in Central Asia”.
The final day of the Symposium consisted of a round table discussion on drug demand reduction activities in Central Asia, including topics such as COVID-19 drug treatment continuity, alternatives to incarceration and mental health and drug use disorders in prison settings, which was followed by meeting with representatives from international partners organizations, including Colombo Plan, ISSUP, ICUDDR/ITTC, CADCA and INL, to discuss future opportunities for collaboration.