Paraguay hosts the 2nd edition of a workshops series on Alternative Development and value chains organized by COPOLAD

The 2^nd “peer-to-peer” Workshop on Alternative Development and Value Chains has been held in Asuncion (Paraguay) between the 5^th and the 7^th of September 2017.

The Cooperation Programme between Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union on Drugs Policies organizes this workshop. The Minister of the National Anti-drugs Agency (SENAD) Cnel. DEM (SR) Hugo Vera and Robert Steinlechner, Chief of Cooperation to the Delegation of the European Union in Paraguay, who joined to representatives of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (Germany) and COPOLAD, opened the sessions and welcomed the participants.

The Executive Secretary of SENAD, Hugo Vera, expressed “my active participation in such a challenge as the development of programmes on Alternatives Crops and Value Chains. As responsible of the national policy against drugs, I have a first-hand experience on the situation of my compatriots, because this is one of the human sides of SENAD, a body not only in charge of the suppression of drug trafficking but also to develop alternative policies to the ones who, under due situations, have to move to illicit crops". Furthermore, the Delegate to the EU in Paraguay highlighted the role of COPOLAD in the promotion of places of exchange and emphasizes the support of the European Union to the Latin America and Caribbean countries, which are working on the development of drug policies with a comprehensive and a sustainable approach.

For three days, representatives from institutions, speak persons of producers and farmers have had the chance to exchange experiences and applied knowledge to the integral rural field. In a highly practical workshop, delegates from Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Guatemala, Paraguay and Mexico and a representative from the CICAD-OAS, had performed different dynamics, reflections, and exercises that have stressed the possibility of creating tools and dialogue platforms as support and reference. With an ultimate goal to enhance the collective building of knowledge and the exchange of experiences, progress has been made in:

- A better understanding of the promotion of a value chains approach to sustainable development in the framework of alternative development.

- The exchange of outcomes and work performed by each participant country between the workshop held in Quito and this new edition through the virtual platform provided by COPOLAD.

- The analysis of actors, services and regulatory environment in relation with the prioritised chains in which countries do business.

- Identifying of threats and opportunities and the definition of lines of action.

- The establishment of next steps and agreements regarding the third and last workshop of the series, that will be held in Ciudad de Mexico next October, in order to respond to participants' petitions, who had expressed interest in a permanent capacity building and the update of methodologies to define public policies and the creation of meeting places.

The 3^rd “peer-to-peer” workshop on Alternative Development and value chains will be held in Ciudad de Mexico (Mexico) the 24^th and the 25^th of October 2017.