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Informal Civil Society Hearing 10 Oct, New York, USA
The first event will be held on 10 October 2014, from 1:15 p.m.-2:45 p.m. (tbc) during the 68th Session of the 3rd Committee of the UN General Assembly in the UN HQ in New York, USA.
On 9 and 10 October the 3rd Committee will discuss the topic International Drug Control, and we plan to give the role of NGOs a most visible platform. The theme of the NGO session will be the continuation of the successful 3rd Informal Civil Society Hearing held during CND 2014, “Addressing drug use together through a health-based approach”.
The tentative agenda includes an opening panel featuring the VNGOC Chair, the UNODC Executive Director and the CND Chair. A second panel will discuss NGO priorities for UNGASS. A more detailed agenda will be shared once time and speakers are confirmed.
We are looking for proposals for NGO speakers at the event. Suggested individuals will ideally be able to attend in person at their own cost, but we will work to allow for distance-participation as well. This is rather urgent, so please send your suggestions to Elisa Rubini at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than Friday, 12 September 2014, Midnight CET.
NGO Briefings to CND and MS - Oct, Nov, Dec 2014, Vienna, Austria
In addition to the above meeting, the board will hold a series of “NGO Briefings to CND and Member States”. They are envisaged to brief CND and Member States representatives on NGO experiences and recommendations to be considered in the leadup to UNGASS. Exact dates and times are still to be confirmed, but we are looking at around 4 panel events to be held in the period of October, November and December 2014. If suitable, these will be tied to CND Intersessional meetings, but can also act as standalone events. Each event will feature 3-5 speakers who are working at a grass roots level in the area of drugs. The exact dates and times will be communicated as soon as they are confirmed.
Again, speakers who are able to attend in person would be preferable, but due to a lack of funding this will not always be possible. Fortunately, the CND Bureau has confirmed their full support to facilitate electronic participation in these events, so it will not be necessary to be in Vienna in order to present at a panel discussion. A Skype or video-conferencing program will be used instead. If you/your organisation is interested in presenting its work, experiences and priorities at such a briefing session, please let us know at your earliest convenience by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Selection of Speakers
The VNGOC board is committed to ensure a balanced and transparent selection of speakers. In this regard you will find the ToR (Terms of Reference) here guiding the selection, as agreed by the board in its meeting on 3 September 2014. If you have any comments about the ToR, please send them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as soon as possible.
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ECAD Sweden continues active networking with ECAD Russian branch despite political disputes. Many cities still wonder "What`s in it for me?" reflecting on ECAD cooperation with Russia. Well, here might be an aswer for you...
Two prevention experts, Sven Persson and Marcus Häggström from Swedish county of Gävleborg, represented ECAD at a national conference for Russian drug abuse treatment in Western Sibiria, near the city of Irkutsk, on July 21-22.
The conference was arranged by ECAD national representative, Russian Narcology League, with Mrs. T. Klimenko, Russian Vice Minister for Health, E. Koshkina, Chief for Drug Addiction Treatment Department at the Ministry of Health and Eugeny Brun, head of Russian Narcology League, setting the scene.
A lot of effort had been invested in streamlining addiction treatment in Russia recently, however, much more should be done to improve outpatient treatment, prevention strategies and rehabilitation techniques, were the main opening remarks. Today, Russian addiction treatment experts research a lot on efficient evaluation methods as a part of modernizing national addiction treatment system.
Since 1980-ies, Russia had been a part of a conscious drug policy formation process and yet, there is little consensus on a common strategy for the enormous country by now. Today, according to the UN World Drug Report, 21% of all drugs produced in Afghanistan penetrate Russian market. Russia has the highest percentage of heroin addicts in the world,over 90% of all drug users in the country are heroin users.
Russian drug policy is relatively often critised in the media, however few of the critical voices actually visited farther regions of Russia, close to China, Japan and Mongolia. Drug addiciton issues are not municipal, regional or national matters, these are and should be dealt with globally, across the borders. Therefore, many Swedish cities have been networking for more than 10 years with their Russian counterparts.
After being interviewed by 2 Russian TV channels, Sven Persson and Marcus Häggström of ECAD Swedish network proudly present a report on the state of affairs in West Sibiria down here.
Download the story in Swedish (PDF)
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As mentioned before, the World Drug Report 2014 was released in Vienna on June 26.
ECAD was present together with a handful representatives from the Member States and some 40 NGOs scattered around a smaller Boardroom at the Vienna International Centre. His Excellency Ambassador Shama started the meeting and the UNODC Executive Director Fedotov and his staff presented the main results:
27 million people, or 1 in every 200 people use drugs in the world. 12,7 million people ( prevalence of 0,27%) inject drugs; 1,7 million people with HIV are injecting drug users.
Opium production has increased since 2012 and the trend is triggered by low prices and accessability of the drug. Cocaine production continues to decline. MTS` share on the global market had doubled during 2007-2012.
Changes on the cannabis market in Europe concern increasing seizures of cannabis resin. In the US, treatment demand for cannabis use and its consequences is increasing, according to the UNODC, which is a hint at the fact that cannabis is harmful.
The message of the Executive Director was: Evidence, explanation and encouragement of healthy lifestyle should replace the old "used" "NO to drugs".
Download World Drug Report 2014 (PDF) here
After some comments from the Member States present, Michel Perron, VNGOC Chair made a statement on behalf of the VNGOC.
On June 27, Vienna NGO Committee on drugs held a regular general meeting.
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ECAD has just received a letter of concern regarding ubiquitous promotion of marijuana use in the media in one of our member cities in the EU. The letter is appealing to the attention of the UN Secretary General.
We choose to publish this letter immediately and urge our members to spread the message through social media.
To Ban Ki Mun
The Secretary-General of UN
Dear Mr Secretary-General,
The Municipality Council Against Drug Addiction in Blagoevgrad turns to you in relation to June 26 - International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
We want to give voice to our protests against the advertising of marijuana in our everyday life. This leads to brainwashing (as it is called) of our kids and youths, but also of parents.
Relentless attempts at convincing our society that marijuana use is harmless and even healthy and helpful (that we see in different interviews and TV shows with pseudo-specialists, also movies and documentaries preaching about marijuana as a therapy means for lots of illnesses), lead to strong reactions from parents who deem this information scandalous, as we refer to moral and medicine.
Parents forbid their children to smoke tobacco and the media gives them advice to smoke marijuana instead. That is a heavy crime against both children and parents. The UN cannot approve of the harm to children’s health and take on a line of passive inaction and a lack of position in regard to this issue, especially on the 26th of June – the International day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. And yes, we do have cases of strong psychotic conditions among 15-16-year-old students because of the use of "weed".
We fully understand the endless amount of profit that marijuana trade brings to its dealers because addictions can generate endless benefits to organized crime networks, to the mafia. The position of the UN must be to relentlessly protect the victims of this monstrous present-day “plague”, namely the drugs, and that - every single day!
The priority of each and every spokesman of all countries around the world ought to be a healthy life and welfare of children, not the power and money of narcobarons. This should be understood by humankind.
We don’t turn to the International Health Organization, because its silence in connection to this question – the drug use among children – is against the main principle of medicine- first of all, don’t do any harm! It is completely intolerable that doctors, wherever they are and whatever their main specialty is, can by their action or inaction harm children and adults.
We insist on a Resolution of the UN, to unconditionally state that drugs and selling drugs cannot be viewed as an official trade of goods, because, as it was already said, drugs destroy the freedom of choice, human intellectual capacity and turn the addicts into contemporary slaves.
We suppose that the 26th of June – the International Day against Drug Abuse - could bring the names of Veronica Guerin and Giovani Falcone to our minds and keep them deep in our hearts. We believe that there is no explanation needed here.
Sincerely,
Temenujka Liubenova , MD
Head of McADA Blagoevgrad
Bulgaria
Translated by Kristiana Buldeeva
Subcategories
The ECAD Mayors' Conference
28th Mayor's Conference - Invitation - May 11th and 12th, 2023 - Malta
On May 11th and 12th, the 28th ECADs Mayor's Conference will take place at Dolmen Hotel in Qwara, Malta. We warmly invite you to join us and expand your knowledge on prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and recovery. The conference will highlight best practices and research in the field. It will offer the opportunity to network with other ECAD members, representatives from local authorities, and non-governmental organisations. Registration is free for the first person attending from your organisation!
Additionally, the conference allows for a unique experience as it includes a full day of field visits on May 12th. All participants are invited to Komunita’ Santa Marija, which will be sharing information on their services, and their experiences, and will engage in discussions.
The Agenda has now been published! The deadline to register is April 22nd
Day 1
DATE | TIME | VENUE
11/05/2023 | 09:00 – 17:30 | The Oracle Conference Centre - Dolmen Hotel Qawra, St. Paul's Bay
08:30hrs – 09:00hrs| Registrations
09:00hrs – 09:05hrs| Welcome Address by the President of Local Councils’ Association - Mr Mario Fava
09:05hrs – 09:15hrs| Welcome Address by ECADs Chairman of the Board from Kristiansand, Norway - Mr Viggo Lütcherath
09:15hrs – 09:20hrs| Welcome Address by the Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government - Hon. Alison Zerafa Civelli
09:20hrs – 09:40hrs| Inspirational speech – “Push yourself to do it because no one else is going to do it for you” by the President Northern Regional Council & LCA Executive Member - Mr. Clifford Galea Vella Maslennikov
09:40hrs – 10:30hrs| Panel Discussion and Presentation – Discussing the Local Context
The prevention team within Sedqa would like to present the following studies.
Study 1: The Role of a Workplace Policy in Addressing Employees’ Substance Misuse Difficulties.
Aim: To explore the probability of an employee seeking support for a substance misuse difficulty elicited by the workplace ethic fostered by management. Through this paper, we seek to determine a possible correlation between the implementation of a substance misuse policy at the workplace, and employees’ probability to seek guidance and support from their employers for a substance misuse-related difficulty.
Study 2: A Substance Misuse Policy in the Workplace: Senior Leadership Teams’ Attitudes
Aim: To explore how senior leadership teams’ (SLTs) attitudes inform the drafting of a substance misuse policy and how those attitudes inform job retention procedures in the case of an employee disclosing a substance misuse difficulty. Uncovering SLTs’ attitudes toward addiction is essential to understand how these beliefs inform workplace policy aims and actions on substance misuse.
Keynote speakers representing Sedqa Prevention team:
Mr Jareth Grima – Social Worker
Ms Sheryl Spiteri – Prevention Team
Ms Stephanie Mizzi Cascun – Prevention Professional.
10:30hrs – 11:00hrs| Coffee Break
11:00hrs – 11:45hrs| Mr Jon Sigfússon Planet Youth – Evidence-based drug prevention.
Mr Sigfússon is the international programme director for the evidence-based Planet Youth Guidance primary community-based health promotion intervention. Over the course of 20 years, Mr Sigfússon directed the Icelandic Centre for Social Research and Analysis (ICSRA).
11:45hrs – 12:30hrs| Mr Matej Košir - Strategies and tactics to prevent cannabis legalisation in Slovenia - The power of prevention science and advocacy.
Mr Matej Košir has been working in prevention and advocacy in the field of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs for around 25 years. Since 2006, he has been involved in more than 30 European projects in the fields of health, justice, education, youth and research as a project or work package leader.
12:00hrs – 14:00hrs| Seated Buffet Lunch
14:00hrs – 14:45hrs| Profs. Christian Thurstone, MD - The impact of legalisation in Colorado, USA – challenges faced by [local] authorities and communities.
Profs. Thurstone is a professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado and a child psychiatrist who specialises in addiction treatment. He published some of the first papers on the potential effects of marijuana legalisation on youth and has devoted his professional life to preventing and treating adolescent substance misuse.
14:45hrs - 15:30hrs| Ms Mulka Nisic - Recovery Cities - Creating sustainable connections and networks in cities.
Ms Mulka Nisic has been involved as a Regional Project Manager and International Relations Officer at the NGO Celebrate Recovery, and Secretary General of the Recovered Users Network-RUN.
15:30hrs - 16:00hrs| Conclusive Remarks
16:00hrs – 17:30hrs| ECAD Plenary for ECAD Members only
19:30hrs – 23:00hrs| Welcome Dinner at The Pavilion Suite, Westin Dragonara St Julian’s - Separate Registration is required in the application form.
Day 2
DATE | TIME
12/05/2023 | 09:15 – 19:00
09:15hrs – 09:30hrs| Transport leaves from Dolmen Hotel & Salini Resort to Komunita Santa Marija
09:30hrs – 09:45hrs| Registration and Welcome Coffee
09:45hrs – 10:15hrs| Introduction to the services offered by Komunita’ Santa Marija.
10:15hrs – 11:00hrs| Sharing of good practices and discussion
11:00hrs – 11:30hrs| Tour around Komunita’ Sanata Marija premises
11:30hrs – 12:00hrs| Transport to Ħagar Qim in Qrendi
12:00hrs – 13:15hrs| Ħagar Qim Visit
13:15hrs – 13:30hrs| Transport to Xgħajra
13:30hrs – 16:00hrs| Lunch (you will have time for a short stroll by the seaside)
16:00hrs – 18:00hrs| Cultural Visit in Mdina – Visiting the National Museum of National History
18:00hrs – 19:30hrs| Visiting Dingli Cliffs
19:30hrs - 15:30hrs| Transport to Salini Resort and Dolmen Hotel
27th Mayors Conference - Gothenburg and online 2022
The 27th Mayors' Conference and 8th World Forum took place in Gothenburg and online 13-14th June 2022.
The World Forum and Mayor’s Conference is a meeting place for people from all continents who are working to prevent drug abuse, ensure evidence-based and gender-sensitive practices, increase access to treatment, and to promote recovery and reintegration services. This global forum is one of its kind where NGOs, self-help groups, treatment centres, scholars, local, regional, and national authorities, politicians and other decision-makers, and others from around the world will meet to share evidence and best practice experiences. This year’s World Forum will include three main tracks: Prevention, Treatment/Recovery, and Advocacy, which will stretch over 1,5 days followed by the WFAD Congress and ECAD Mayors plenary session.
We are proud to announce that the Forum was inaugurated by UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly and will be joined by experts from around the world.
Read more on the website: https://2022.wfad.se/ and access the full report here. 
26th Mayors Conference - Cork 2019 
25th MAYORS´ CONFERENCE
and 6th World Forum Against Drugs 
Conference materials
Kevin Sabet, PhD, Director, Drug Policy Institute, University of Florida, President, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), USA
Speech at the WFAD /ECAD 25th Mayors Conference, Gothenburg, May 15, 2018 (Video 5min.)
Supply reduction in Peril? A lot of the worlds`s drug supply emanates from a war-torn Columbia.
Dr. Michael Jonsson, FOI, Swedish Defence Research Agency
Text to the slides (PDF)
In Columbia, a peace deal has been struck, which gives hope for a closure of insurgency and violence. (PDF)
Thomas Pietschmann, Dr, Drug Research Section, Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs
The International drug control system, global/regional and national drug patterns and trends, and supply reduction efforts at the international level (PDF)
Photo: Götaplatsen @ Klas Eriksson
Annual Mayors` Conference and the 6th World Forum Against Drugs will take off on May 14-15 in Gothenburg this year.
This joint event will address a growing interest to the effective prevention practices, full recovery and alternatives to incarceration and to life-long dependency on drug treatment.
The conference will create a room for elaborating a practical guide to how a recovery city will look like, this will be grounded on the recent evidence-based research. Sheffield Hallam University (UK), Ghent University (Belgium) and the City of Gothenburg have already started working on this guide in practice.
In order to find out more and to register please visit a joint webpage here.
MAYORS` CONFERENCE 2017
ECAD 24th Mayors` Conference materials
On June 12-13, the city of Kaunas hosted ECAD 24th Annual Mayors`s Conference 2017
Safe Cities Without Drugs. Preventing, Protecting, Policing
Key-note speakers:
David W. Spencer, Field intelligence Manager, Drug Enforcement Agency, European Region
Supply reduction and dismantling drug trafficking organizations: In what ways can local communities benefit (PDF)
Kim Nilvall, Swedish National Bureau of Investigation, Intelligence section, Organized crime
Police work in socially disadvantaged areas in Sweden: Impact of drugs on urban crime (PDF)
Torsten Stodiek, Deputy Head, Strategic Police Matters Unit, Community Policing Advisor, Transnational Threats Department, OSCE
Preventing terrorism and countering violent extremism and radicalisation that lead to terrorism:
A community and intelligence led policing approach (PDF)
Jon Sigfusson, Director for Icelandic Centre of Social Research and Analysis, Reykjavik University, ICSRA
Youth in Europe and Planet Youth (PDF)
Laimonas Vasiliauskas, Senior Specialist, Serious and Organized Crime Department, EUROPOL
European Illicit Drug Market (PDF)
Antonio Boscini, Health Director, San Patrignano Community, Rimini, Italy
Recovery and social reinsertion: San Patrignano Community model extended (PDF)
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME (PDF)
FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT (PDF)
Conference Booking Form
Kaunas Castle
Picture: @Rokas Tenys
Warm welcome to Kaunas, Lithuania!