The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) is teaming up with the Brazilian Secretaria Nacional de Políticas sobre Drogas e Gestão de Ativos (SENAD) this week to host a series of evidence-based prevention events in Brasília. The events aim to strengthen prevention efforts in Latin America by fostering the use of scientifically proven strategies.
The first event is a European Prevention Curriculum (EUPC) basic training course, being delivered in Portuguese to Brazilian prevention experts (27–28 August). The Portuguese version of the course, adapted to the Brazilian context, was a joint initiative of the European Society for Prevention Research (EUSPR), the EUDA, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and COPOLAD III. It is the first of three culturally adapted editions developed under the EUDA-COPOLAD III partnership and aimed at countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The first pilot culturally adapted training in Portuguese was delivered in September 2023. Spanish and English versions have also been piloted, with three online trainings held in June and July 2024.
This week’s course is being attended by 23 participants from various regions and cities in Brazil, including: Acre, Amapá, Ceará, Distrito Federal/Brasília, Espírito Santo, Paraíba, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, São Paulo and Tocantins.
On 29 August, the organisations will also be hosting an international evidence-based prevention forum involving researchers and policymakers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay. This event will discuss the issue of combatting misinformation and misleading claims about prevention interventions. It is designed to help close the gap between prevention science and practice and avoid the financing of ineffective or harmful programmes.
A highlight of the forum will be the official launch of EvidenciaViva, an online registry of evaluated prevention interventions in the countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). Modelled after the EUDA’s Xchange registry, EvidenciaViva will be available in Spanish and Portuguese on the EUDA website. The forum will also explore the impact of various classification systems used in national and international registries, while promoting narratives that support the adoption of evaluated and effective evidence-based public policy interventions.
