COPOLAD launches a “peer to peer” workshop series on value chains and Alternative Development

Quito, 9^th May 2017. COPOLAD’s “peer to peer” workshop on value chains and Alternative Development gathers in this occasion 37 participants not only Andean countries with wide experience in the AD -Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia- but also Mexico, Paraguay and Guatemala, countries with a recent interest in this field.

This meeting is organised by the Cooperation Programme between Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union on Drugs Policies, a European Programme managed by the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP) promotes this activity hold in Quito (9^th-10^th May), in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH of Germany and Secretaría Técnica de Drogas (SETED) of Ecuador.

The opening session was attended by the Chief of Cooperation of Delegation of the European External Action Service in Ecuador, Andrea Ferrari-Bravo and Diego Tipán, Deputy Secretary of policy articulation on comprehensive prevention on drugs of Technical Secretariat for Drugs (SETED) of Ecuador, who accompanied representatives form GIZ and COPOLAD. 

Value chains, a deepening into Alternative Development area

The aim of this First Workshop that initiates the series is to facilitate exchange of best practices and mutual learning on the value chains concept applied to products coming from Alternative Development. In addition to this, the meeting shares its characteristics and key elements as well as to share experiences in this field.

With a “learning-by-doing” approach, technicians from institutions focused on AD in each country, representatives from regional or local governments and members of producers’ associations involved in AD projects have the chance to analyse and present concrete cases, with the intention to serve as a space of open reflection in which different tools will be analysed in relation to value chains.

This workshop aims at produce a joint reflection that identifies common interests to define next steps towards the following workshops, to be held in Asuncion (Paraguay) in September. In Mexico City, and as a result of these former workshops, outcomes and proposals in the field of value chains and Alternative Development developed by countries themselves at national level will be presented.