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Background

FACT SHEET: The Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the OAS

The Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) was created in 1986 as a specialized entity of the OAS, with autonomous authority to exercise its mandate.

CICAD is the Western Hemisphere's primary policy forum for dealing with the drug problem. It promotes dialogue between member states, as well as multilateral cooperation, and executes action programs to strengthen countries’ ability to prevent and treat drug abuse.

The Executive Secretariat of CICAD is located at the OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C. It has 25 professionals responsible for the execution of programs in five areas: Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM); Institutional Strengthening; Inter-American Observatory on Drugs (OID); Demand Reduction; and Supply Reduction.

What are CICAD’s main achievements to date?

• The 2016-2020 Plan of Action is a guide to support the implementation of the guidelines established by the Hemispheric Drug Strategy (2010), as well as the member states commitments agreed to in the Declaration of Antigua, Guatemala, “For a comprehensive policy against the world drug problem in the Americas” (2013); in the Resolution of Guatemala, “Reflections and guidelines to formulate and follow up on comprehensive policies to address the world drug problem in the Americas” (2014); and in the outcome document of the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on the world drug problem, held from April 19-21, 2016 in New York City, entitled, “Our joint commitment to effectively addressing and countering the world drug problem” (2016). Additionally, the Plan of Action acknowledges the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, and notes that efforts made towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and to effectively address the world drug problem, are complementary and mutually reinforcing.
• Through this Plan of Action, member states reiterate their commitment to support the paradigm shift in the Hemisphere in the last years: designing policies focused on the individual rather than controlled substances; emphasizing a human rights approach (including public health), and taking into account gender and sustainable development; drafting policies based on scientific evidence; further include civil society and other stakeholders central to the debate, design, and implementation of drug policies; continue working towards strengthening institutional capacities to achieve more effective inter-institutional coordination at all levels, as well as more co-responsibility between countries and institutions; foster debate on topics that affect the daily lives of our citizens.
• The 2010 Hemispheric Drug Strategy enshrined the paradigm change to treat drug consumers not as a public security threat, but as a public health problem.
• “The Drug Problem in the Americas” was published in 2013 in response to the mandate of the Sixth Summit of the Americans in Cartagena, held in 2012. The report signified a milestone in the regional debate on drugs, with countries becoming focused on alternatives to prior drug policies.
• CICAD tasks Groups of Experts, focused on different areas, with identifying and developing resources, toolkits, guidebooks, and reference materials to support member states.
• The Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM) conducts regular evaluations on the implementation of the Plan of Action on Drugs, measuring the progress made by member states in regard to their drug policies.

Why does CICAD 61 matter?

• CICAD organizes two high level meetings every year, where 34 OAS member states convene to discuss and define drug policies. CICAD 61 will convene April 24 to 26 of 2017 in Washington, D.C., under the chairmanship of The Bahamas and Vice-Chair Mexico.
• The conference will analyze the implementation of recommendations from the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on the Drug Problem, UNGASS 2016. CICAD’s Plan of Action on Drugs 2016-2020 was the first post-UNGASS plan to adopt its concepts and recommendations.
• There will be panels and presentations exploring subjects relevant to the problems of drugs in the Hemisphere, such as: policy responses to the impact of the opioid crisis to public health; specialized intelligence training to combat the drug problem in the Hemisphere; Early Warning Systems; translating national drug policies into local policies; alternative resolution tribunals for juvenile infractions related to drugs; and training of public health professionals for prevention and treatment of drug abuse.
• The outgoing Chair of the Expert Group on Demand Reduction (Brazil) and the current chair of Inter-governmental Working Group of the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM) (Chile) will present their reports to the Commission.
• CICAD’s Executive Secretariat will present its work plan of 2017 to the member states.
• On Monday, April 24, CICAD 61 will feature a dialogue with civil society entitled, “Drug Policy Indicators: Measuring Progress with a Focus on Individuals”, coordinated with the Washington Office on Latin America and with the participation of several other civil society organizations.

Background

• The OAS General Assembly convened justice ministers of the Americas in April of 1986 at the First Specialized Inter-American Conference on the Illicit Use and Production of Narcotic Drugs, held in Rio de Janeiro. In November 1986, the OAS General Assembly approved the Inter-American Program of Action of Rio de Janeiro, and established CICAD.
• The Executive Secretariat of CICAD was established in January 1987 as a specialized entity of the OAS. The Commission convened in March 1988 for the first time.
• The Strategic Plan of Action against Drugs was adopted in 1998.
• In November 1996, CICAD approved the Anti-Drug Strategy in the Hemisphere. The concept of shared responsibility was highlighted.
• The OAS General Assembly changed CICAD regulations in June 1997 to allow all eligible member states to join CICAD (in contrast to the prior rule wherein the General Assembly selected 11 members)
• In April 1998, the second Summit of the Americas (Santiago, Chile) agreed to create the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism.
• The Inter-American Observatory on Drugs was created in 2000 to serve as CICAD’s depository of statistics, information, and research.
• The new Hemispheric Drug Strategy was approved in 2010, as well as the Plan of Action 2011-2015
• The OAS Report on the Drug Problem in the Americas was published in 2013.
• In 2013, member states approved the Declaration of Antigua “For a comprehensive policy against the world drug problem in the Americas”, and a year later, the 2014 Guatemala Resolution “Reflections and guidelines to formulate and follow up on comprehensive policies to address the world drug problem in the Americas”.
• Starting in 1999, MEM started publishing its reports: First Round (1999-2000), Second Round (2001-2002), Third Round (2003-2004), Fourth Round (2005-2006), Fifth Round (2007-2009) and Sixth Round (2013-2014).
• The thirtieth anniversary of CICAD was celebrated with the Nassau Commemorative Declaration in 2016, under the leadership of The Bahamas. The Declaration recognizes the important work achieved by CICAD and its Executive Secretariat since 1986, strengthening the response capacity of member states against the world drug problem.

The Hemispheric Plan of Action on Drugs 2016-2020 was approved at the 60^th CICAD regular session in Nassau, the Bahamas, and November 2016

Reference: S-006/17