Representatives of the European cooperation program on drugs COPOLAD III are visiting Colombia this week to coordinate support for the country’s drug policies. The objective of these experts is to learn first-hand about the proposals being developed by the new Colombian government and to offer support to develop more effective interventions against organized crime and generate better results for the development of the most affected communities.
The COPOLAD III team will meet with the Vice Minister of Criminal Policy and Restorative Justice, Camilo Umaña, as well as the Vice Minister of Public Health and Service Delivery, Jaime Urrego, and other related international and national organizations.
Naturally, the agenda will allow for exchanges with the Drug Directorate of the Ministry of Justice, to learn about the fundamental aspects of the new policy, as well as the country’s needs in terms of technical cooperation between Europe and Colombia.
United Nations
COPOLAD III works towards the promotion and defense of human rights and to achieve improvements in fundamental aspects of the country’s sustainable development, for which meetings are planned with representatives of the UN Human Rights Office in Colombia, UNODC and UNDP.
In addition to exchanges with officials from the Ministry of Health, the team will also meet with the Colombian National Police, the Prosecutor’s Office and the Anti-Narcotics Directorate. In addition to improving cooperation to reduce the power of drug trafficking, the European program promotes actions aimed at improving the social use of seized assets, so there will be exchanges with the Special Assets Society to promote good practices among peers from other countries. COPOLAD III representatives will also have a formal space for meetings with civil society involved in the peace process and improving the efficiency of drug policies, as well as various organizations related to rural development in coca leaf growing areas.
In order to support the needs of Latin American and Caribbean countries regarding drug policies, the third phase of the COPOLAD program has been launched in 2021, promoted by the European Union with 15 million euros, in partnership with more than 32 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Third edition
This third edition is led by the Fundación Internacional y para Iberoamérica de Administración y Políticas Públicas (FIIAPP), in consortium with the International Italo-Latin American Organization (IILA), and in coordination with the German institution GIZ and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addictions (EMCDDA).
