The Joint NACADA, ISSUP and African Union Drug Demand Reduction Conference & Workshop was officially opened on the 10th of December 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya. This year ISSUP collaborated with the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) and the African Union to run an international conference that allowed for networking, knowledge sharing and policy development in the field of substance use prevention, treatment and recovery.
The opening celebration to the conference, which involved 1600 participants from over 80 countries, including more than 40 African states, was held in the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.
ISSUP’s Senior Consultant Jeff Lee and ISSUP's Communications & Research Manager Livia Edegger jointly welcomed all those who had travelled to participate in the conference and training workshops.
Among the esteemed speakers was Kirsten D. Madison, Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) who commented on the need for quality evidenced practice:
“The United States is extraordinarily proud to support these efforts. Reducing demand for drugs is an essential component of a larger comprehensive approach to combatting the crisis. I am pleased my team at the U.S. Department of State has been able to partner with so many people who are here to take a truly crucial step in this process, which is creating specialised, universally applicable, evidence-based training programmes centred on preventing and treating those with substance use disorders.”
The opening ceremony was brought to a close with the formal launch of the ISSUP Kenya National Chapter.
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