UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia together with the UNODC Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Section (PTRS), hosted a training for practitioners on "Treatnet Family" for youth with drug use disorders including those in contact or at risk of contact with the criminal justice system. The event was held in a hybrid format in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan from 12-16 April 2021 and 27 local service providers working with youth and their families from drug treatment centres, juvenile facilities, and NGOs, participated. The training aimed to prepare social service providers to pilot community...

The Nationwide Competition “Expert on the Development of Life and Family Skills” was organized online in January-April 2021 by the Ministry of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan jointly with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in three stages via @psyforum telegram channel.

The competition was aimed at disseminating best practices, as well as improving the skills of psychologists and teachers in the public education system in achieving psychological resilience in schools and families by teaching young people life skills, healthy lifestyles, positive relationships...

4 March 2021, Online Consultation on initiation of the Survey in Kazakhstan on High-Risk Drug Use took place via Zoom Teleconference Platform.

More than 25 representatives of governmental, non-governmental stakeholders in the Republic of Kazakhstan and international organizations, including the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Interior, Republican Mental Health Centre, Kazakh National Centre of Dermatology and Infectious Diseases, Law Enforcement Academy of the General Prosecutor’s Office, non-governmental organizations, research institutions, Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and...

New psychoactive substances (NPS) are spreading at an unprecedented rate and are becoming a serious health threat and a real problem in drug policy in Central Asian countries. Little is known about the negative impact of NPS on human health and the harm they cause to society, and this significantly complicates prevention and treatment. To effectively counter this new problem, it is necessary to ensure constant monitoring of the drug situation, exchange of information and raise awareness of the risks.

In order to consider the possibility of multisectoral partnerships between government...

The Regional Mission in Central Asia of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) together with the Ministry of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan launched an online competition "Expert on the Development of Family and Life Skills."

The main purpose of the competition is to disseminate best practices, as well as to improve the skills of psychologists and educators in the public education system, especially classroom leaders, in achieving psychological stability in school and family by teaching young people life skills, healthy lifestyles, positive relationships between parents and...

Online regional training for trainers (ToT) on Course 10 “Managing Medication-Assisted Treatment Programs” (30 November – 3 December 2020) of the Advanced Level of the Universal Treatment Curriculum for Substance Use Disorders (UTC training package) launched on 30 November 2020.

The main purpose of the training series is to prepare the team of national trainers who will be able to independently train professionals, working in the field of drug dependence treatment and prevention in their own countries in the future. The training was conducted by Dr. Yuriy Rossinskiy (Kazakhstan) and Dr. Oleg...

As covid-19 becomes the "new reality" and the number of positive cases, although not as high as the last, we must remain vigilant, especially when it comes to those who are most vulnerable to possible negative consequences.

The statement we can hear on any flight on an airplane is: "In case of danger, first put the mask on your own, then put it on the child." The purpose of this statement is that without protecting yourself in the first place, you will not be able to help those who need it most. The same principle applies to drafting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those whose job it is to...

As COVID-19 becomes a “new norm” and the number of positive cases is not as high as it used to be, we still need to stay alert especially when it comes to those who are the most vulnerable to the possible negative consequences.

The statement that we can hear during any airplane flight is “In case of emergency, put on the mask on YOURSELF first, and then put it on your child.” The meaning of this instruction is that without protecting yourself first, you might not be able to help those who need it most. The same principle applies to the frontline staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those...

Pandemics and health emergencies like the current COVID-10 outbreak, can cost many lives and pose additional risks to the global economy and overall security and stability. Ensuring continued access to health care during a pandemic, including services for people who use drugs and treatment of drug use disorders, are key not only to protect the health of populations, but also key to security and stability.

Drug use disorders are frequently accompanied by somatic conditions such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and/or C and tuberculosis, lung or cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer and injuries and...

Пандемия, и связанные с ней ограничения, принесли перемены в жизни практически каждого жителя планеты. Однако, немногие задумываются о том, как изменилась жизнь лиц с расстройствами, вызванными употреблением наркотиков, являющихся одними из самых уязвимых и нуждающихся в постоянной помощи. С одной стороны, закрытие границ во время карантина, привело к резкому сокращению доступа к наркотическим веществам; с другой стороны, стала распространенной проблема потери дохода, к тому же, многие виды зависимости сопровождаются различными заболеваниями и слабым иммунитетом, что делает лиц с зависимостью...

The COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions associated with it have changed people’s lives in almost all countries. However, very few realize how the lives of people with drug use disorders – who are among the most vulnerable and in need of ongoing care – have changed. On the one hand, the closure of borders during quarantine has led to a dramatic reduction in access to narcotic drugs. On the other hand, loss of income has become a problem for people with many forms of dependence accompanied by various diseases. Exposure to COVID-19 can also lead to complications due to their weak immunity.

We...

A Regional three-day training for trainers (ToT) on Course 9 “Advanced Pharmacology and Substance Use Disorders” of the Advanced Level of the Universal Treatment Curriculum for Substance Use Disorders (UTC training package) was launched via online video conference platform on 16 November 2020.

The main purpose of the training was to prepare the team of national trainers who in the future will be able to independently train professionals, working in the field of drug dependence treatment and prevention. The training was conducted by highly qualified Regional Master Trainers of the...

A new report published by the World Health Organisation presents the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – as leaders in implementing the most cost-effective policies to reduce alcohol intake and alcohol-attributable harm in the WHO European Region.

The report highlights the quick direct action the region has taken to reduce the harm that alcohol can cause to individuals and broader society.

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The five-day regional online training on the skills of UNODC/WHO assessment experts on quality drug treatment has begun on 12 October 2020. The aim of the training is to strengthen institutional support to ensure the successful implementation of the UNODC/WHO drug treatment services in Central Asia and to promote a scientific approach to the quality of drug treatment and drug care services.

Following the launch of the International Standards for the Treatment of Drug Disorders, WHO/UN/UN resolution 59/4 by the Commission on Drugs (which calls for the development and dissemination of...

Five-day online regional refresher training for assessors on UNODC-WHO quality assurance (QA) tools for drug dependency treatment launched on 12 October 2020. The purpose of the training is to consolidate the institutional support to ensure the successful implementation of the UNODC-WHO QA mechanism of drug treatment services in Central Asia and promote the scientific understanding of quality drug use disorder treatment and care services.

For the five days, the participants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will have a unique opportunity to discuss important...