The 67th session brought together in Vienna participants from all member states, UN entities, intergovernmental organizations, civil society and the scientific community related to the world drug problem. COPOLAD III participated through three side events organized by the delegations of various countries participating in the program, presenting some of its most important results related to the innovation approach it promotes.
Natalia Riffo, director of SENDA Chile, presented the social innovation laboratory that COPOLAD III is promoting in Maule, to improve the prevention of drug use among minors under the protection of the State and that in April will present its first prototypes that have emerged from this process. The intervention was made in the framework of the side event organized by Italy, called “Global Call to Action: Scaling up evidence-based health and social services to address substance use disorders”.
As highlighted by COPOLAD Director Borja Diaz Rivillas, present at the CND, “social innovation is one of the approaches prioritized by COPOLAD to accompany countries in the search for solutions to particularly complex drug policy problems that require the mobilization of a large number of State and civil society actors in the creation of joint solutions”.
Advances in Alternative Development were presented by GIZ in two parallel events. On the one hand, Deborah Alimi, COPOLAD III consultant presented the study that the program is preparing on innovative approaches in alternative development, in a round table organized by Peru and on the other hand Sarah David, COPOLAD III consultant and GIZ representative participated in an event organized by Brazil called “Breaking new ground: promoting alternative development in Brazil with a gender, ethnic and racial perspective” announcing that Brazil will host in July the COPOLAD III Intraregional Dialogue Forum on DAIS focused on Alternative Development.
For the first time, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs included harm reduction in one of its statements as recommended by the European Drug Strategy. This is a fundamental step to promote the health approach in drug policies and is in line with the approach of the COPOLAD Program in its national accompaniments to Colombia, Mexico or Uruguay.
During the event, the teams of the institutions that make up the program, FIIAPP, EMCDDA, GIZ and IILA met with the different allies of the Program, such as the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the Organization of American States (OAS) and different countries that collaborate with the program.
During the 67th session of the CND, more than 170 side events and more than 30 exhibitions on various aspects of drug policies were held.
