Operative Dimension

Code

1.3.3

Year

2018

Component

C1 - National Drugs Observatories

Execution Level

Completed

Activity Types

• Meeting

Implementation

The Third Meeting of Activity 1.3 Working Group: Early warning System, took place on 26 and 27 July in the city of Montevideo, Uruguay.

Activity 1.3 "Promotion and facilitation of the creation of national early warning systems in the CELAC countries", focuses on providing the necessary technical assistance to encourage the establishment of early warning systems for drugs in these countries.

The main idea of this Working Group is to "contribute to improving the response of CELAC countries to the threat of new psychoactive substances (NPS) and/or new uses of substances, from the implementation and/or strengthening of the EWS in the NDOs in collaboration with other entities and actors from the CELAC countries". The aim is to provide the participating countries with the necessary tools and the roadmap to advance in the implementation/development of national Early Warning Systems.

After two previous work instances in the cities of Bogotá (12 and 13 September 2017) and Lisbon (16 and 17 November 2017) for this meeting, the specific objectives of the activity are:

1. To report on the current state of the participating countries in relation to the implementation of early warning systems.
2. Review, discussion and validation of the Handbook for the implementation and development of early warning systems developed by the group of experts designated at the Bogotá meeting.
3. To set up timetables and commitments of the countries for the second semester of 2018.

In addition, the coordinating team, jointly with the COPOLAD task force, defined the inclusion of the following contents in the agenda:

• Presentation by the representative of the Global SMART programme of an update on NPS in the region.
• The presentation of the achievements and challenges of the European Early Warning System.
• Presentation by the OID Regional EWS "SATA".
• Poland's expertise in legal approaches to NPS
• Presentation by Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay of practical examples of the process of detection of an alert.

Associated operational objectives

1.3 - Test, develop or update evaluation and monitoring tools, processes and tasks, necessary to deepen the knowledge of the drugs situation in CELAC countries with well-established NDOs.

Results

In general, the Workshop was evaluated as satisfactory by its participants, reaching a good level of agreement in the main aspects and reiterating the importance of the progress achieved by the countries in the implementation and consolidation of Early Warning Systems.

Also, there was a general approval of what was presented by the team of experts who elaborate the Handbook, who will work with this meeting’s inputs, to reach a final document that considers what was discussed.

It was agreed that the objective is to present and distribute the Handbook in its printed version in Spanish and English at the last meeting of Observatories in March 2019.

It was agreed that the Manual would refer to the Rapid Risk Assessment. The importance of SATs having normative support was also highlighted in this instance.

Indicators

Promoted the establishment in CELAC countries of national EWS, though the onset of sustainable information-sharing agreements between NAs, NDOs and other stakeholders, which can provide key information to assess and deal effectively with the new threats of psychoactive drugs.
The percentage of CELAC participating countries having a national EWS, has increased, at least a 50% (from baseline situation).

Theoretical Dimension

Principles

• Shared responsability
• Public health
• Public security

Approaches

• Attention to evidence
• Institutional support and reinforcement
• Best practices exchange
• Sustainability
• South-South cooperation

Institutions

JND - National Drug Board Uruguay

Host

Institution Website

SICAD - General-Directorate for Intervention on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies Portugal

EU Reference country (WG)

Institution Website

NBDP - National Bureau for Drug Prevention Poland

EU Reference country (WG)

Institution Website

JND - National Drug Board Uruguay

Leader country (WG)

Institution Website

MINJUSTICIA - Ministry of Justice and Law Colombia

Leader country (WG)

Institution Website

NDC - National Drug Council Trinidad and Tobago

Leader country (WG)

Institution Website

VLADA - Secretariat of the Council of the Government for Drug Policy. Office of the Government Czech Republic

Leader country (WG)

Institution Website

Participant Institutions

Participation

Participants

E-rooms

Restricted documents

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