Observatories on Drugs
Effective policies can only be based on the availability of accurate and comparable indicators on drug use, their impact on health, as well as market-related indicators. in previous phases, COPOLAD III will strengthen the National Drug Observatories (NDOs) o guarantee a solid National Drug Information System in each partner country, not only to collect quality data, but also to supervise, analyse and interpret the collected information, monitoring and evaluating the impacts of national drug policies in the different dimensions of sustainable development, with a gender, differential and rights approach.
COPOLAD III has direct participation through a grant from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) as a collaborating partner.
Lines of action
Activities
1.1.1 Holding a regional workshop on the development and strengthening of national scientific research systems on drugs
1.1.2 Technical assistance, distance mentoring for the formation and implementation of scientific advisory committees for observatories, networks of researchers and research centres, national drug research funds, national drug research agendas.
1.1.3 Development of an EU-LAC bi-regional conference (face-to-face in Bogota, Colombia) on research on drug policy and sustainable development.
Activities
1.2.1 Preparation and delivery of 2 online seminars: innovative evaluations
1.2.2. Ad hoc technical support to strengthen the technical capacity of NDOs and networking, including visits to LAC and Europe
Activities
1.3.1 Preparation of materials, reference documents and delivery of webinars:
1.3.1.1 International guidelines on human rights and drug policies
1.3.1.2 Incorporation of a differential approach and rights in information systems
1.3.2 Holding two virtual regional workshops to support the design and implementation of national roadmaps for the incorporation of differential and rights approaches in the information and research systems of the Observatories .
Activities
1.4.1 Holding two workshops to develop a methodology for evaluating the impacts of national drug policies on the different dimensions of sustainable development.
1.4.2 Technical assistance for preparing a methodological guide for the evaluation of the impacts of national drug policies on sustainable development.
1.4.3 Technical assistance for the development of a national pilot study on the impact of drug policies in an LAC country on the different dimensions of sustainable development.
1.4.4 Holding of a bi-regional webinar to present the methodology and results of research on the impact of drugs on development
1.4.5 Study visits on cannabis policy evaluation
1.4.6 Seminars on cannabis policy evaluation
1.4.7 Organisation of a bi-regional seminar on the evaluation of cannabis policies
1.4.8 Three studies focused on national cannabis policies.
1.4.9 Technical assistance to develop a cannabis policy evaluation toolkit
1.4.10 Creation of a virtual community of practice/learning on cannabis policy evaluation.
Activities
1.5.1 Participation at the international conference on new psychoactive substances and meeting with Panamanian authorities.
1.5.2 Direct technical assistance to strengthen existing early warning systems.
1.5.3 Translation of key EMCDDA publications on psychoactive substances into Spanish.
1.5.4 Participation in meetings organised by CELAC countries to strengthen the early warning system.
Activities
1.6.1 Holding two meetings of NDO managers from Latin America and the Caribbean and Europe.
1.6.2 Conducting a study visit to the observatories in Portugal and Spain.
1.6.3 Technical support to NDOs (help-desk support) through an online tool.
1.6.4 Implementation of a community of practice and learning that articulates demands and offers of support.
1.6.5 Establishment of virtual sub-working groups.
1.6.6 Mentoring by experts (South-South and triangular) to improve knowledge generation processes at the national level.
