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Drug Policy Coalition of Liberia Releases Policy Brief on COVID-19 & Substance Abuse

James Koryor

The policy brief assesses the current and long term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on substance abuse in Liberia.

The document highlighted key areas including:

The Impact of COVID-19 on Substance Users.

Plenary 1: Setting the Scene for Drug Demand Reduction in Africa

James

Plenary 1: Setting the Scene for Drug Demand Reduction in Africa

Drug Demand Reduction in Africa Virtual Conference ISSUP

16 September 2020

Johannesburg

South Africa

The First Plenary Session of the 'Drug Demand Reduction in Africa: Prevention, Treatment and Epidemiology' Virtual Conference from 16th September to 10th November 2020.

Time: 2:00 – 4:10 pm SA

Register Here for 'Plenary 1: Setting the Scene for Drug Demand Reduction in Africa'

Plenary Chair: Jeff Lee and Livia Edegger, ISSUP Global

Conference Welcome and Introduction:

Jeff Lee, Senior Consultant, ISSUP Global
Livia Edegger, Deputy Director, ISSUP Global

1. Setting the Scene

Presenters:

Roger Weimann - President, ISSUP SA; Director, SANCA Eastern Cape
Joanna Travis-Roberts - Chief Executive, ISSUP Global
Brian Morales - Branch Chief Counternarcotics, Office of Global Programs and Policies (INL/GPP)
Ambassador Adam Namm - Executive Secretary, Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), Organization of the American States (OAS)
Ms Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu - Deputy Minister, Republic of South Africa Department of Social Development (DSD)
Her Excellency Amira Elfadil - Commissioner for Social Affairs, African Union Commission (AUC)

2. Global Perspective – A Global Overview of Drug Use

Presenter:

Giovanna Campello - Chief, Prevention, Treatment & Rehabilitation Section, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Chloé Carpentier - Chief, Drug Research Section, Research Branch, UNODC

3. Continental Perspective – An Overview of Drug Use in Africa

Presenter:

Dr Jane Marie Ongolo - Head of Social Welfare, Vulnerable Groups and Drug Control, African Union Commission

4. African Union Plan of Action on Drug Control and Crime Prevention (2019-2023)

Presenter:

Dr Abel Basutu - Senior Drug Control Programme Officer, African Union Commission

5. Global Initiatives by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, US State Department

Presenters:

William McGlynn - Senior Advisor, Office of Global Policy and Programs, Drug Demand Reduction, INL, U.S. Department of State
Bruno Bui - Foreign Affairs Officer, Office of Global Policy and Programs, Drug Demand Reduction, INL, U.S. Department of State

6. Regional Perspective – Latin America and the Caribbean

Presenter:

Marya Hynes - Chief, Inter-American Observatory on Drugs, CICAD

7. Summary and Invitation to Send Comments and Questions Arising from Inputs

For more information on the 'Drug Demand Reduction in Africa: Prevention, Treatment and Epidemiology' Virtual Conference, please visit Africa 2020

Event Language

English

A Review of the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Prevention Systems in Kenya

Livia

A Review of the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Prevention Systems in Kenya

Researchers predict that harm from substance use and rates of substance use disorders in sub-Saharan Africa will increase significantly in the next 30 years.

In order to have a well-functioning health system that works in harmony, the World Health Organization (WHO)describes the need for the following features:

trained and motivated health workers,
a well-maintained infrastructure
a reliable supply of medicines and technologies,
the backing of adequate funding with strong health plans and evidence-based policies.

This review shines the spotlight on Kenya with the aim to provide an overview of the current state of public sector SUD treatment and prevention systems in Kenya.

For the narrative review, the authors collected government documents as well as publications from the following: MOH, National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), Parliament of Kenya, National Council for Law Reporting, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) and National Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Coordination Board.

Key points from the discussion:

The Mental Health Act 1989, the main legislative framework governing substance use disorder treatment and prevention, focuses on institutional care only.
While there are only three public health facilities offering substance use disorder treatment in Kenya, several non-public sector actors are involved in SUD treatment and prevention activities.
The Ministry of Health has no specific budget for substance use disorder treatment and prevention

In conclusion, the researchers offer the following five-point proposal:

Enactment of the Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2018.
Integration of substance use disorder treatment and prevention into primary health care to increase access to care.
Use of money gathered from taxation of alcohol, tobacco and betting to increase funding for substance use disorder treatment and prevention.
Characterisation of the substance use disorder workforce to inform planning.
Enhanced collaboration between the government and non-state actors in order to increase access to SUD treatment and prevention.

Highlights from the First ISSUP Nigeria Bi-Monthly Webinar

James

Highlights from the First ISSUP Nigeria Bi-Monthly Webinar

The Nigerian Society of Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Professionals (ISSUP Nigeria Chapter) held the first of her bi-monthly update webinar series titled: 'Experience and challenges in delivering drug demand reduction interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic, capacity building on evidence based substance abuse prevention and treatment interventions, and the way forward' on July, 30th 2020 at 3pm. The webinar had 188 participants from across the globe.

The webinar was moderated by the President of ISSUP Nigeria; Dr. Martin Agwogie and the PRO, ISSUP Nigeria; Dr. Bawo James. Panelists were Dr. Oliver Stolpe (UNODC Nigeria Country Representative), Mrs. J. O. Titus-Awogbuyi (Director, Drug Demand reduction, NDLEA), Dr. J. O. Salaudeen (Director, DDR, FMOH), and Dr. William Ebiti (National Coordinator, CIND).

The webinar commenced with opening remarks by the Executive Director of ISSUP, Joanna Travis-Roberts, following which Dr. Agwogie introduced the panelists. Dr. James thereafter moderated the sessions with issues ranging from capacity building and engagement for substance use professionals utilizing IT resources in delivering prevention and treatment services in the intra-, and post-COVID era enunciated.

The following are major highlights from the webinar.

There is the need to be more proactive in addressing the issues of drugs and substance abuse especially with the present COVID-19 pandemic which has become a risk factor for substance use.
The challenges with access to drug treatment during COVID-19 and the need to develop alternative drug demand reduction operational strategies during the pandemic was emphasized.
The DrugHelpNet and other initiatives/supports of the UNODC was applauded and should be sustained.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Federal Ministry of Health, ISSUP Nigeria and the CSOs were also commended for their initiatives in drug control in Nigeria.
There is the need to strengthen advocacy for appropriate government interventions in drug control.
Institutions involved in drug control in Nigeria, including NGOs/CSOs should be given maximum support by the executive and legislative arms of government.
There is the need for more synergy among stakeholders in drug demand reduction. Synergy devoid of institutional and professional discrimination.
Capacity building of practitioners was identified as the foundation in delivering evidence-based interventions. As such, sustainable strategies should be put in place to develop the capacity of drug demand reduction practitioners in Nigeria.
The need for similar and regular sessions, involving the major stakeholders, was advocated.

The next ISSUP Nigeria Bi-Monthly Webinars are scheduled for

September 24th 2020
November 26th 2020

Please be on the look out for details and updates on the ISSUP Nigeria news page.

First published in Solace Vol. 3 (2020), the official newsletter of ISSUP Nigeria.

Founder Executive Nono-proft Children and Youth Sports Organization

MUKASA Nelson

Hello members,

A Review of the Public Sector Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Prevention Systems in Kenya

Livia

A Review of the Public Sector Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Prevention Systems in Kenya

Abstract

Background

The burden of substance use disorders in sub-Saharan Africa has been projected to increase by an estimated 130% by 2050. Despite this, little is known about the substance use disorder treatment and prevention systems in the region.

Objectives

The objective of this review is to describe the public sector substance use disorder treatment and prevention systems in Kenya guided by the World Health Organization health systems framework model, with the aim of informing decision-making.

Methods

We reviewed official government documents obtained from hand-searching the websites of relevant governmental organizations including: Ministry of Health, National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Parliament of Kenya, Ministry of Treasury & National Planning, National Law Reporting Council, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the National Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Coordination Board and the 47 County Governments. We augmented those searches with official documents that the authors were aware of by virtue of being practitioners in the field. Draft and retired documents were excluded. The findings of the search are presented as a narrative review.

Discussion

The Mental Health Act 1989, the main legislative framework governing substance use disorder treatment and prevention, focuses on institutional care only. While there are only three public health facilities offering substance use disorder treatment in Kenya, several non-public sector actors are involved in SUD treatment and prevention activities. Unfortunately, there is limited cross-sector collaboration. The Ministry of Health has no specific budget for substance use disorder treatment and prevention, while the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse has an annual resource gap of about US$ 5,000,000. The substance use disorder workforce in Kenya has not been characterized.

Conclusion

We propose five key strategies for strengthening substance use disorder treatment and prevention systems in Kenya including: (1) Enactment of the Mental Health (Amendment) bill 2018. (2) Integration of substance use disorder treatment and prevention into primary health care to increase access to care. (3) Utilization of money from taxation of alcohol, tobacco and betting to increase funding for substance use disorder treatment and prevention. (4) Characterization of the substance use disorder workforce to inform planning. (5) Enhanced collaboration between the government and non-state actors in order to increase access to SUD treatment and prevention.

UNODC Strategic Vision for Africa 2020-2030

Edie

UNODC Strategic Vision for Africa 2020-2030

On entering the Decade of Action 2030, UNODC recognizes the need to increase efforts in Africa. UNODC proposes adopting a ‘business unusual’ approach in order to support Africa towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and priority goals of the African Union Agenda 2063. UNODC pledges to work with Africa to better address a significant number of issues critical for Africa’s stability, safety, security and health and to leave no one behind.

As communicated by Executive Director, Ms. Ghada Waly, during Africa Day in May 2020, UNODC is developing its Strategic Vision for Africa 2020-2030 which proposes accelerated and enhanced levels of cooperation with Africa in the areas of drug control, crime prevention, terrorism prevention, anti-corruption and addressing transnational organized crime.

UNODC is inviting stakeholders to inform and be part of a consultative process to collect advice, insights, input and recommended approaches in response to needs and priorities.

To guide the reflection, we would be grateful if you could provide your views and inputs through this online questionnaire which poses the following questions:

What key challenges does Africa face over the next decade with regard to drug control, addressing transnational organized crime, crime prevention and criminal justice systems? On which gaps or cross-cutting issues should UNODC focus more?
Which solutions do you propose to address these challenges and how can UNODC support these efforts?
How can UNODC support you to build bridges between Member States and civil society networks?
How can UNODC work better with CSOs or the private sector to widen funding opportunities to address those challenges?
Which national, regional and international partners would you propose for UNODC to collaborate with to address these challenges?
What role do you see for civil society organizations and communities in realizing the opportunities and addressing the challenges you have identified?

Please note that the deadline for providing input via the online questionnaire is midnight (CET) on Friday 3 July 2020.
Inputs can be provided in Arabic, English or French.

Answers or further inputs can also be provided directly by email to sarah [dot] vanderveen [at] un [dot] org.

The main outcomes of the consultative process of the UNODC Strategic Vision for Africa 2020-2030 will be available as a presentation in August 2020. Using the online form, please indicate whether you would like to receive a copy of this presentation by email.

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