COPOLAD presents to the United Nations developed instruments for the design of more effective drug policies

Vienna, Austria, 15th March 2017. The European Commission holds today, during the 60th Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the parallel event on COPOLAD: Development of instruments to support informed decision-making in drug policies.

COPOLAD, European Programme managed by the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), has presented, after its first year of action, the tools that contribute to the strengthening and construction of instruments to support the design and application of policies on Comprehensive and effective drugs, based on scientific evidence, respectful of Human Rights and sensitive to gender aspects. The representatives of the countries have presented the advances in the validation and adoption of criteria in the field of drug demand reduction, where, as a novelty, there has been the participation of the Caribbean area.

At the presentation ceremony, Ambassador Didier Lenoir, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to International Organizations in Vienna, highlighted the importance of COPOLAD to strengthen dialogue between the CELAC countries (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) and the European Union, within the framework of the European Cooperation Strategy. The act was moderated by Mrs. Greer McKinney, of the Bahamas Drug Observatory of the National Anti-Drug Secretariat (NADS), belonging to the Ministry of National Security of this country, who gave the floor to Ms. Teresa Salvador-Llivina, Director of COPOLAD, Diego Martín Olivera Couto, Secretary General of the National Drug Board (JND) of Uruguay, Mrs. Yalile Martínez Beltrán, General Secretary of the National Commission for Development and Life without Drugs (DEVIDA) of Peru and Mrs. Esther Best, Manager of the National Drug Council (NDC), of Trinidad and Tobago.

• United Nations monitors the goals set by the UNGASS for 2019

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) deals with the most important problems related to drugs and crime that affect the world today. The 60th Session of the Commission on Narcotics (Commission on Narcotics Drugs, CND), will address the following highlights:

1. Follow-up to the special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem (UNGASS) held in 2016, including the seven thematic areas of the final document of the special session and the follow-up of the commitments made up to the conclusion of the 62nd session extraordinary, scheduled for 2019.
2. Implementation of the Political Declaration and Action Plan on International Cooperation towards a Comprehensive and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem in the areas of: Demand reduction and related measures; Supply reduction and related measures; Fight against money laundering and promotion of judicial cooperation to enhance international cooperation.
3. Application of international drug control treaties.
4. Recommendations for monitoring, review and implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.