MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica – A trans-Atlantic study group seeks consensus on standardized information systems and needs assessment for the development of local public policies on drug treatment and rehabilitation.
Fifty-five experts from 16 cities, representing 15 European Union and Caribbean countries, will meet in Montego Bay, Jamaica on March 5 and 6, 2009 to develop plans for preparing need assessments at the local level, and for collecting data that will inform evidence-based policies on the treatment and rehabilitation of people who abuse and are dependent on drugs.
This event is one of a series of activities organized by the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), Secretariat for Multidimensional Security of the Organization of American States (OAS), under the EU-LAC Drug Treatment City Partnerships, an initiative funded by the European Union.
The Montego Bay Technical City Forum on Drug Treatment is a multilateral effort led by the local governments of Montego Bay and Kingston, in partnership with the General Secretariat of CARICOM, and with the support of the National Council on Drug Abuse of Jamaica (NCDA).
The results of this workshop will be presented at the Göteborg City Forum, Sweden, on May 28-29, 2009, which will bring together representatives from more than 40 cities from both sides of the Atlantic.
The EU-LAC initiative is an innovative three-year program aimed at creating partnerships among cities in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean to exchange best practices in drug treatment and rehabilitation. The program is designed to empower city officials and organizations to build drug treatment capacities at the local level.
