The conference of the World Association of Treatment and Rehabilitation Specialists of Psychotropic Substances, which was held for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa, was concluded under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
The conference was organized by the National Rehabilitation Center in Abu Dhabi, in cooperation with the Office of International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement Affairs of the US Department of State, and the World Association of Psychotropic Substance Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Professionals, under the slogan “Uniting the efforts of the international community to confront the challenge of addiction”.
At the conference, the latest knowledge in the areas of prevention of the abuse of psychotropic substances, treatment, support for recovery, and the exchange of experiences in the field of protection from psychotropic substances were presented. The participants in the conference presented the latest developments, studies and research in the field of treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of psychotropic substances, through the exchange of reliable scientific experiences with evidence of their applications.
The conference, which was held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center “ADNEC”, witnessed the attendance of 2,300 participants from experts and specialists in the field of prevention and treatment of psychotropic substances from 119 countries, in addition to 36 scientific sessions and 21 workshops, and scientific presentations will continue on the conference site until June 20, As the conference registrants have the opportunity to benefit from the conference and interact with presentations that exceed 150 hours of continuous broadcast.
During the conference, the official announcement of the issuance of the International Standards for the Treatment of Drug Use Disorders in Arabic, standards developed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Health Organization to support Member States in their efforts to develop and expand effective, evidence-based and ethical treatment for drug use disorders.
The African Union, which is holding its continental consultations for the Union Commission within the Conference, launched the Global Dialogue on Drug Demand Reduction between Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, and stressed the need for exploration and cooperation in exchanging concrete ideas to improve the prevention of addiction to psychotropic substances, treatment and care.
During the conference, the International Union for Quality Assurance in the Treatment of Disorders of Psychotropic Substance Use was launched, which aims to ensure the right of people suffering from these disorders to obtain quality assured treatment like all other groups, so that this union serves as an umbrella for the various organizations concerned with quality assurance. Through it, quality standards are issued that are approved by these organizations. The Federation also cares about providers of treatment services and provides them with the necessary support to be approved by it. The inauguration of this union was announced in a scientific symposium chaired by Dr. Tariq Abdel Gawad, Director of the Treatment and Rehabilitation Department at the National Rehabilitation Center in Abu Dhabi, in which Dr. Mariano Montenegro, Director of the Colombo Plan Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, and Brian Morales, Head of the Narcotics Control Branch in the Office of International Affairs participated. During the symposium, the first work of the International Consortium for Quality in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders was launched by the Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Program, which is a reference handbook on the management of treatment services for people with substance use disorders in line with ” Key Quality Standards” for international organizations.
The conference hosted the announcement and honoring of the winners of the World Association of Psychotropic Substances Treatment and Rehabilitation Professionals Award, where the award for the best scientific evidence-based initiative in the field of demand reduction for psychotropic substances was announced, including projects, programmes, campaigns and policy actions from around the world.
The award was won by the Claremont Graduate University of Claremont Graduate School of Preventive Sciences and its Applications in Media Program, in which participants build their knowledge and skills in the use of media to prevent psychotropic substance abuse, led by Dr. William Crano, Professor of Psychology at Claremont Graduate University in California, who said: This conference in Abu Dhabi exceeded all expectations, and raised the ceiling of excellence to the highest levels. The smooth cooperation between the National Rehabilitation Center and its other partners, and the generosity of their morals, character and actions, provided the participants with a creative environment to achieve the conference’s goal in uniting the global community. Yes, winning the award is an honor Great for me, but your hospitality will stay in my memory for much longer.”
The award for the best initiative in the field of reducing the demand for psychotropic substances at the regional level was also announced, which was allocated this year to initiatives from the Middle East region. The use of psychotropic substances, and the winning initiative in which a fully equipped kitchen was inaugurated at the association’s headquarters, and each inmate of the association is taught how to make traditional sweets, and then the products are marketed so that the inmates in the association learn a new craft and the association obtains sustainable income, within 14 A month spent by each resident of the association.
The Society announced the Services Award in the Demand Reduction of Psychotropic Substances, to honor individuals for their outstanding contribution in the field of Demand Reduction for Psychotropic Substances at the local, national or international levels.
The award in the (Lifetime Achievement) category was won by Dr. Steve Jost, former Director of the International Program at the National Institute on Drug Abuse in the United States.
An Excellence Award was also announced, which is presented to honor individuals for their outstanding contributions in the field of training to reduce the demand for psychotropic substances.
At the conference, a symposium of Central Asian governments on the use of psychotropic substances was held, which lasted for five days, with the participation of government representatives from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, in addition to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other international organizations working in Central Asia.
The symposium discussed reducing the demand for psychotropic substances in Central Asia, continuity of treatment in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, alternatives to incarceration, mental health and substance use disorders in prisons.
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