Fact Sheet Special session of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) December 11-15, 2000 The Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) is holding a special session December 11-15 to consider and adopt the 1999-2000 national and hemispheric reports on anti-drug efforts in the Americas. These are the first results of the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM), a tool to measure progress against drugs throughout the region. The MEM consists of 61 indicators and a work design that involves the participation of all 34 OAS/CICAD member states. Creation of the MEM was one of the mandates of the 1998 Summit of the Americas in Santiago, Chile. These first reports, along with recommendations for improving the process, will be presented to the region’s presidents and prime ministers at the Third Summit of the Americas, to be held April 20-22 in Quebec City, Canada. The MEM Process Throughout the year 2000, government experts from each of the 34 countries involved in the process have been collecting, analyzing and compiling information, based on 61 indicators, both quantitative and qualitative, covering all aspects of the drug demand and supply equation. The reports have gone through several drafts and government reviews. The experts held four extended sessions during the year to work on the MEM. The December Meeting At this meeting, held at the Organization of American States (OAS), CICAD will consider the final drafts of the report for final adoption. The Commission will also discuss possible revisions and additions to the list of indicators, based on the first year’s experience, and explore follow-up steps for CICAD and its member countries to take. The results of these discussions will be presented at the 2001 Summit of the Americas. Media Access By agreement of its member countries, CICAD working sessions are closed. However, members of the press and representatives of permanent observer countries may attend the inaugural session on Monday, December 11, at 9 a.m., and the closing session scheduled for 1 p.m. on Friday, December 15. A news conference has also been scheduled to take place on Friday at 2 p.m., following the close of the session. Report Availability It is expected that the MEM Hemispheric Report 1999-2000, which gives an overview of the region, will be available for distribution on December 15. In accordance with CICAD’s decision, the individual country reports and/or summaries will be made public in early January, after they are distributed in final form to the governments.   For more information, please contact Janelle Conaway at the OAS Department of Public Information: 202-458-6841.