Regional Conference on the Consumption of Psychoactive Substances in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, April 17, 2023 - The Regional Conference of the International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) will be held the week of April 19-21, 2023 in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Universidad del Museo Social Argentino (UMSA) will be the host institution for the event, which will feature various courses and trainings.

The national chapter of ISSUP Argentina is organizing the Regional Conference in conjunction with ISSUP Global and the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission of the Organization of American States (CICAD/OAS).

"It is very important for us to host this Regional Conference. The event aims to generate a space for meeting and exchange of knowledge. The topic that brings us together is complex, and therefore, the active participation and cooperation of different sectors such as the State, Multilateral Organizations, Civil Society, Academic Institutions and citizens in general is essential. During this week we will have training workshops and panels with speakers from different countries, who will present evidence and tools that will allow us to continue giving, every day, better answers in prevention, treatment and research on the consumption of addictive substances," said Roberto Canay, Director of ISSUP Argentina, on the eve of the event.

ISSUP is a Non-Governmental Organization with more than 29,000 members worldwide. It supports the development of a network of addiction prevention and treatment professionals and serves as a focal point for providing information on events, news, research and training for drug use experts. “This event is a perfect example of bringing together training opportunities and side meetings from partner organisations, speakers from a range of institutions and the voice of our ISSUP members in Latin America. We could not be the organisation we are without these connections, and we thank you for creating such collaborative initiatives to support the substance use workforce”, said Joanna Travis-Roberts, ISSUP Global Chief Executive, of the regional event.

The event is a significant moment for the 34 member countries of the OAS. Ambassador Adam Namm, executive secretary OAS/CICAD, said of the event, " We work jointly with the Member States of the region in the search for solutions and alternatives to the problem of drug use, providing technical assistance to address it. For this reason, we had the pleasure of co-organizing an event with top-level experts, which will bring together several countries, providing access to the latest advances in evidence-based prevention, treatment and recovery. We hope that this meeting provides the opportunity to share experiences that enrich your daily work. Alone we can do very little, together we can do much more."

The ISSUP regional event will be held with the support of the International Consortium of Universities in Drug Demand Reduction (ICUDDR), the Colombo Plan, the Global Center for Accreditation and Certification (GCCC), the International Technology Transfer Centers (ITTC), the Drug Free America Foundation (DFAF) and the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), among other international partner organizations.

The event will include presentations by the region's most relevant experts and training courses on prevention, treatment, recovery support and alternatives to incarceration, among other topics.

*ENDS*

Notes to editors:

More information about the event can be found at the following link: https://www.issup.net/about-issup/workshops/buenos-aires-2023

Conference Venue: The three-day face-to-face event will be held April 19-21, 2023 at the Universidad del Museo Social Argentino (UMSA), Avenida Corrientes 1723, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Program: https://www.issup.net/es/about-issup/workshops/buenos-aires-2023/programa

Speakers: https://www.issup.net/es/about-issup/workshops/buenos-aires-2023/speakers

Press contacts

For more information, please contact:

- ISSUP Global: Livia Edegger, livia [dot] edegger [at] issup [dot] net (livia[dot]edegger[at]issup[dot]net)

- ISSUP Argentina: Verónica Brasesco, mvbrasesco [at] gmail [dot] com (mvbrasesco[at]gmail[dot]com)

- ICUDDR: Kevin Mulvey, mulveyk [at] icuddr [dot] org (mulveyk[at]icuddr[dot]org)

- Colombo Plan: Mariano Montenegro, Colombo Plan Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, mariano [dot] montenegro [at] colombo-plan [dot] org (mariano[dot]montenegro[at]colombo-plan[dot]org)

- U.S. Embassy: Federico Ibanez, IbanezFL [at] state [dot] gov (IbanezFL[at]state[dot]gov)

Follow the conversation on Twitter: #ISSUPArgentina2023

About ISSUP Global: The International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) was established in 2015 to connect, unite and provide expertise to the global substance use prevention, treatment and recovery support workforce. ISSUP has more than 29,000 members worldwide.

About ICUDDR: The International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction (ICUDDR) was established in 2016. Its purpose is to facilitate networking among universities to promote high quality education and training in the field of addiction prevention and treatment.

About OAS/CICAD: The Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) is the consultative and advisory body of the Organization of American States (OAS) on the issue of drugs. It serves as a forum for OAS Member States to discuss and find solutions to the drug problem and provides technical assistance to increase their capacity to counter the problem. Since its establishment in 1986, CICAD and its Executive Secretariat have responded to the constant and changing challenges of drug control, expanding their efforts to promote regional cooperation and coordination with and among its Member States. CICAD has five program units: Institutional Strengthening, Demand Reduction, Supply Reduction, the Inter-American Observatory on Drugs, and the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism.

About Colombo Plan: The Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme (DAP) was founded in 1973 in response to growing drug-related concerns in the Asia Pacific region. Over the years, DAP has helped its member states and non-member states, and since 2017 in Latin America, to formulate effective programs and create practical solutions through training and technical assistance of the workforce in the reduction of demand for drugs based on scientific evidence in solid alliances with each country.

INL: The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) works to keep Americans safe at home by countering international crime, illegal drugs, and instability abroad. INL helps countries provide justice and fairness by strengthening their law enforcement, judicial and corrections systems.