ISSUP Australia and ISSUP New Zealand are organising the Expert Meeting, “Implications and Opportunities for Capacity Building and Networking Arising from Developments in Drug Availability and Use, with a Special Focus on the Asia-Pacific Region,” which will take place in a hybrid format in Perth, Australia, on 3 July 2026.
Within the broader context of strengthening ISSUP activities across the Asia-Pacific region, this meeting will provide a forum to explore recent developments in drug availability and use, and to consider how these trends influence priorities and opportunities for collaboration, networking, and workforce capacity building.
The programme will include discussions on global challenges and responses, ISSUP updates and regional activities, updates from the WHO and UNODC regional offices, an overview of the findings from a rapid assessment conducted in the Pacific region, and a presentation raising concerns that drug trafficking organisation are increasingly targeting young people in the region.
Representatives from Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam will participate in roundtable discussions focused on emerging challenges, opportunities for collaboration, and priority areas for action.
The meeting will conclude with a discussion on shared priorities, critical knowledge gaps, and opportunities for future regional collaboration, followed by an open discussion and next steps for strengthening capacity-building efforts across the Asia-Pacific region.
The Expert Meeting will follow the ISSDP Conference 2026, hosted by the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) at Curtin University. More details about the Conference can be found here: https://www.issdp.org/