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TRANS-ATLANTIC MAYORS CONFER IN SWEDEN TO IMPROVE DRUG TREATMENT SERVICES

  May 28, 2009

On May 27, 2009, mayors and other senior officials from 34 cities in Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union met in Göteborg, Sweden to discuss the development of policies and best practices in the treatment and rehabilitation of drug dependency. The three-day forum was organized by the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the Organization of American States (OAS), together with the City of Goteburg, under CICAD’s EU-LAC City Alliances in Drug Treatment initiative, which is funded by the European Union.

James Mack, Executive Secretary of CICAD, said: “CICAD is working hard to help the countries of the Americas improve the quality of care delivered in their drug treatment programs. The presence of thirteen city mayors, ten deputy mayors and a minister of health here in Göteburg confirms the need for this type of gathering, where policy-makers and technical people can come together around a pressing problem of our times – the abuse of and dependence on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.”

As part of the OAS Secretariat for Multidimensional Security, CICAD has been tasked with strengthening the human and institutional capacity and harnessing the collective energy of its member states to control drug trafficking and illegal drug use. The EU-LAC City Alliance is a three-year project that runs through mid-2010 and brings with more 40 cities to improve public policies for the treatment for drug dependency.

Reference: E-188/09