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OAS Anti-Drug Commission to Hold its Biannual Meeting and Parallel Civil Society Meeting

The Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the Organization of American States (OAS) will hold its 57th regular session from April 29 to May 1 at the headquarters of the hemispheric institution in Washington DC. Previously, on Tuesday April 28, representatives of member states will exchange views with civil society at a meeting entitled "Drugs and Development, Prioritizing a Social Integration Approach."

The agenda for the 57th regular session includes the presentation of three reports: the Report on Drug Use in the Americas 2015; the Hemispheric Report of the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism 2015; and the Technical Report on Alternatives to Incarceration for Drug-Related Crimes.

The Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, and the Minister of Interior of Guatemala, Hector Mauricio Lopez Bonilla will speak at the opening of the meeting on Wednesday, April 29. CICAD Commissioners from member countries and several panelists and presenters will also participate. The inauguration will be held at 09:00 EDT (13:00 GMT) in the Padilha Vidal Room and will be open to the press.

The event will include panels and discussions on asset recovery networks, new psychoactive substances, training and certification of human resources for the treatment of drug abuse and dependence, medical marijuana, use of evidence in the design of regulated systems, reflections on policies aimed at the decriminalization of drug use and institutional advances in social integration and drugs in the Americas.

The Fourth Session of the CICAD Side Event with Civil Society will take place on Tuesday, April 28. The meeting is a mechanism by which member states learn about the experiences, actions and research of civil society groups, and that encourages feedback and brainstorming. In this regard, it aims to foster and strengthen the relationship between commissioners and civil society, strengthening the discussions and subsequent actions within the framework of CICAD. The meeting will take place at 14:00 EDT (18:00 GMT) in the Ruben Dario Room at OAS headquarters, it will be broadcast on the OAS website and will include remote participation via twitter (@CICAD_OEA).

In addition, on April 27 and 28 the first session of the working group for the drafting of a new Plan of Action 2016-2020 for the Hemispheric Drug Strategy will take place.

More information about the event is available here

WHAT: Biannual Meeting of the CICAD and Meeting with Civil Society

WHEN: Monday, April 27 to Friday, May 1

WHERE: Organization of American States
1889 F Street NW, Washington DC

Reference: AVI-074/15