2023 has been another great year for ISSUP National Chapters. The exponential growth and visibility of ISSUP in the global field of drug demand reduction is a result of the hard work, commitment and dedication of National Chapters working to advance the mission of ISSUP around the world.
In this article we present a walkthrough of 2023 and a regional overview of the valuable contributions our National Chapters have made to the global drug demand reduction workforce.
Africa
The African region drew a lot of international attention this year by hosting the ISAM Conference in Morocco and an African Union High Level Meeting in Zambia. These events not only put the continent on the world map but provided a regional focus on drug demand reduction in Africa. At the national level, ISSUP Tanzania and ISSUP Egypt held in-person events to officially launch National Chapters. Both events drew participation from a wide base of stakeholders working in-country to promote evidence-based prevention, treatment, and recovery support.
Another milestone worth celebrating was the official graduation of 32 newly accredited Internationally Certified Addiction Professionals in Botswana. ISSUP Kenya and ISSUP Nigeria have remained a core providers of knowledge through their webinar programmes. ISSUP Togo has also played a key role as a training provider not only within Togo but to the wider francophone community in Africa.
Together, the National Chapters in Africa have actively spearheaded prevention initiatives and ensured the continued transfer of evidence-based knowledge across the region.
Europe, Middle East & Caribbean
Europe, Middle East & Caribbean region got off to a fantastic start in 2023 with the launch of ISSUP Bahamas in February. This was a colourful in-person event held at the University of Bahamas under the theme, “The Dawn of a New Era in Addiction Prevention, Treatment and Recovery”.
Online events have remained popular with topical discussions and trainings led by ISSUP Bahamas, ISSUP Czech Republic, ISSUP Lebanon and ISSUP Italy.
ISSUP UK also collaborated with some of our African National Chapters to host a webinar series on stigma. ISSUP Bahamas and ISSUP Italy held successful events to commemorate World Drug Day 2023. A variety of training events were also held at the National Rehabilitation Center in Abu Dhabi under the coordination of ISSUP UAE.
The institutional network in the region expanded with the formal establishment of ISSUP Turkiye National Chapter. ISSUP Greece won the bid to host the next ISSUP conference and this has generated widespread excitement as we head into 2024.
Latin America and Spain
It has been a busy year in the Latin America region. The regional highlight was the ISSUP Regional Conference held in April 2023 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The event hosted by ISSUP Argentina spanned an entire week and comprised plenary and training sessions and side meetings.
ISSUP Brazil hosted the 8th Freemind/ISSUP Brazil International Conference in the last quarter of 2023. As part of the diverse programme, the Colombo Plan held the Media-Based Capstone and CICAD organised an event for youth leaders.
ISSUP Colombia, Paraguay, and Panama marked their official establishment with launch events. We also saw a re-launch of ISSUP Peru and the introduction of a new board of directors.
ISSUP Panama has established a core multi-stakeholder group dedicated to implementing National Chapter activities. Post-launch, ISSUP Paraguay hosted an international seminar on prevention in school settings and a CHILD training for professionals in collaboration with Colombo Plan and CICAD.
ISSUP Colombia’s monthly webinars remain popular and present a consistent effort in knowledge dissemination. ISSUP Mexico also led regional conversations on prevention with their annual World Drug Day webinar. Under the coordination of ISSUP Chile and CICAD, student members in Chile undertook the Universal Prevention Curriculum (UPC) CORE course focusing on the development of a prevention-based project.
The region is looking forward to the launch of ISSUP Guatemala next year. The growing community of professionals in Latin America continues in its united mission to promote the professionalisation of the drug demand reduction workforce and create a healthier, evidence-informed society.
Asia
Three conferences were held across the region. ISSUP Ukraine’s leadership co-organised the IX Annual Psychiatric International Conference. The 4th National Youth Convention was hosted by ISSUP Pakistan in collaboration with the National Institute of Psychology, Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad. ISSUP Malaysia hosted the International Recovery Symposium in Kuching which marked the birth of ISSUP Malaysia and the Asian Recovery Network.
The Asian region continues to play an important role in knowledge translation and adapting information to the local context. ISSUP Indonesia, ISSUP Pakistan, ISSUP Malaysia, ISSUP Ukraine and ISSUP Philippines held multiple webinars in their local languages. ISSUP Ukraine translated the Universal Treatment Curricula (modules 9 -22) and the Introduction to Evidence-Based Prevention (INEP) course into Ukrainian. ISSUP Malaysia successfully conducted the first pilot INEP Plus course in-country.
The National Chapters in Malaysia and Kazakhstan have started collaborating with local universities. Local trainings on prevention and treatment also continue to be provided under the coordination of ISSUP India, ISSUP Indonesia, ISSUP Malaysia and ISSUP Kazakhstan.
This is just a brief summary of a much larger scope of work conducted over the year by ISSUP National Chapters. We are incredibly grateful to you for your dedication and efforts in spearheading an effective and ethical workforce in substance use prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support.