THE MEETING AIMS TO BOLSTER COLLABORATION AMONG CELAC AGENCIES.
During the period October 8 to 10, 2024, a landmark exchange meeting convened in Brussels, bringing together 43 National Drug Agencies from the Caribbean, Latin America, and the European Union (EU).
Organized under the COPOLAD III Programme within the EU-CELAC Mechanism for Cooperation and Coordination on Drugs, strengthened technical knowledge-sharing and deepen cooperation on critical drug-related issues. Saint Lucia, through the Substance Abuse Advisory Council Secretariat, was a participant in the meeting.
The primary objective of the meeting was to bolster collaboration and knowledge exchange among CELAC agencies, EU representatives, and CELAC country embassies in Brussels.
Discussions addressed challenges in national drug policies and programmes, with particular attention to the rise threat of new psychoactive substances and the urgent need to build and strengthen national early warning systems to respond proactively to these threats.
The three-day agenda featured:
• A joint seminar to exchange country experiences among the European Union (EU), Caribbean and Latin America (CELAC) delegates,
• A focused exchange between CELAC members and EU services on drug policy, and
• A technical committee meeting of the EU/CELAC Mechanism for Cooperation and Coordination on Drugs.
This event, organized by COPOLAD III, supported the commitments of the Peace Declaration established during the 24th High-Level EU-CELAC Meeting in La Paz, Bolivia, earlier this year.
Funded by the European Union, COPOLAD III has established itself as a vital platform fostering bi-regional technical dialogue and collaboration on drug policy and public health between the EU, Latin America, and the Caribbean, of which Saint Lucia, is a beneficiary.
By Ministry of Health