UNODC Supports National Partners in Kazakhstan in Ensuring the Continuity and Sustainability of Treatment, Care and Rehabilitation during the COVID-19 Pandemic for People who Use Drugs

UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia and UNODC PTRS in collaboration with the Republican Scientific and Practical Centre on Mental Health of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan held national webinar on 25 September   2020. The purpose of the webinar was to create a forum for national experts to share valuable international experience on how to ensure the continuity and sustainability of drug dependence treatment, HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services for people who use drugs and how to implement evidence-based policies that ensure access to effective drug dependence treatment and HIV programmes for people who use drugs.

Work of the webinar was focused on presentation and discussion of the following topics:

• Overview of the UNODC World Drug Report 2020
• Results of a rapid assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on drug use and services for people who use drugs in Central Asia
• Research findings on the impact of COVID-19 on the Internet trade of psychoactive substances in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
• Results of the pilot study of the epidemiological situation associated with the use of new psychoactive substances in Kazakhstan

Participants also shared experiences of adaptation of the forms and methods of providing drug dependence treatment and care services to the new conditions.

A total of 68 national addiction professionals involved in drug dependence treatment, HIV prevention, care and support services to people who use drugs were reported to attend the webinar and they expressed high interest to continue the work of the forum.

The activity was conducted within the framework of the UNODC global project GLOJ71: “Treating drug dependence and its health consequences: Treatnet II”