Author: Milutin

Executive Director, Drug Policy Network Youth East Europe

Warm-up for the Workshop

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To get to know each other and “warm up” for the Workshop, DPNSEE and partners of the “No risk, no borders” project invited project participants to an online meeting on Wednesday 19 May 2021.

Through an Open call, the project participants received 44 applications out of which they selected 25 participants. 17 of them are female and 8 male. They are of different ethnical, religious and geographic background. The group includes young exposed to conflict, violence and/or bullying, involved in conflict with the law, young people who use drugs, youth with alternative lifestyles and those from LGBTI communities.

During the call, they all expressed openness and willingness to work in a multi-cultural setting. We all were enthusiastic to meet and work together.

The Workshop will be held from 27 to 30 May in Sremski Karlovci, Serbia.

 

BCSDN Call for Ad-Hoc Grants

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The Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN) announced the revised version of the Call for Proposals for Ad-Hoc Support Grants under the Regional Civil Society Development Hub.

To further support CSO efforts in promoting the civic space in the Western Balkan region, BCSDN have broadened the scope and the target groups for the funding opportunities under the Call.

In addition to non-governmental and not-for-profit CSOs, CSOs’ networks, platforms, associations and foundations registered in one of the WB6 countries, informal organizations are also welcome to apply for the ad-hoc support.

With the updated Call, the Hub will continue to provide rapid funding for CSO’s immediate needs or innovations, in the form of direct expert support or funding for various regional actions, contributing to strengthening regional cooperation in promoting civic space.

The immediate need mechanism aims to provide support for civil society actors who prompted by unpredicted events must immediately respond to the current challenges or recognize a window of opportunity for influencing public opinion and policy processes.

The innovation stream refers to actions for the promotion or development of new approaches and methods of working and/or engaging with constituencies and stakeholders, or other innovative solutions to address the challenges CSOs are facing.

The deadline of this Call is extended by the end of 2021 until all available funds are disbursed, offering continuous support and a simplified and accelerated review procedure to ensure timely response to your needs.

The funding for this call is made available with the financial support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), provided for the Project “Protecting Civic Space – Regional Civil Society Development Hub”. The Call will remain open until the end of the year and until all available funds are disbursed.

Please check the details here>>>.

Find the application form following this link>>>.

 

Project team meeting

Posted on by Milutin

The “No risk, no border” Project team held an online meeting on 14 May 2021. The items on the agenda included Final list of project participants, Workshop 1 – programme and trainers, Scholarship agreement, Travel details – transport Belgrade – Sremski Karlovci, Pre-task activity, Zoom meeting with participants, Letter to participants about the Workshop 1 and Project promo material.

We were glad to conclude that we have a good group of participants open and willing to work in multi-cultural setting and that preparations for the Workshop scheduled for 27 – 30 May are going well.

Call for experts on treatment and care as an alternative to conviction or punishment

Posted on by Milutin

The Vienna and New York NGO Committees on Drugs (VNGOC & NYNGOC) are looking for four civil society Experts on treatment and care as an alternative to conviction or punishment. The experts with substantive experience on the topic, who can make a meaningful contribution to the identification of key aspects of diversion to healthcare at the various stages of the criminal justice continuum. They are expected to contribute to the production of guidance by UNODC on ‘drug use disorder treatment and care as an alternative to conviction or punishment for people with drug use disorders in contact with the criminal justice system’.

The UNODC-WHO initiative on Treatment and Care for People with Drug Use Disorders in Contact with the Criminal Justice System: Alternatives to Conviction or Punishment was launched in line with the Commission on Narcotic Drug’s (CND) resolution 58/5 on “supporting the collaboration of public health and justice authorities in pursuing alternative measures to conviction or punishment for appropriate drug related offences of a minor nature”. The aim is to promote the collaboration of justice and health authorities on alternative measures to conviction punishment for appropriate drug-related offences of a minor nature, especially with a view to people with drug use disorders in contact with the criminal justice system. In this context a handbook has been published in 2019 which has been jointly developed by UNODC PTRS, UNODC’s Justice Section and WHO.

As a follow up, now in 2021, UNODC/PTRS is aiming to develop additional guidance on drug use disorder treatment and care as an alternative to conviction or punishment for people with drug use disorders in contact with the criminal justice system, from the pre-arrest stage to the post-sentencing stage. UNODC/PTRS, with the support of experts (e.g. professionals, scientific experts, civil society, etc.) from all regions, aims to identify principles to support the effective implementation of treatment as an alternative at the various stages of the criminal justice system. Different professional groups/settings at each stage of the criminal justice continuum to be considered will include:

  1. Measures at pre-arrest stage (e.g., the role of law enforcement etc in deflection, diversion, administrative sanctions etc.)
  2. Measures at pre-trial stage (e.g., caution, conditional bail, conditional dismissal with referral to education or treatment etc.)
  3. Measures at trial/sentencing stage (e.g., postponement of sentence, deferring the execution of the sentence, diversion using specialized courts, probation/judicial supervision through probation officers etc.)
  4. Measures at post-sentencing stage (e.g., early release, parole, pardon with an element of treatment through parole officers etc.)

Expert consultations will continue throughout 2021 in different formats. Consultations will be conducted in English and interpretation will not be provided. More information on how and when input can be best provided will be shared with the selected experts.

If you wish to be considered for nomination please fill out the online application form and submit it no later than 6 June 2021, 11.55 p.m. CEST.

 

A new report on flows of people, drugs and money in the Western Balkans

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The Western Balkans is a crossroads for the trafficking of many illicit commodities, and it is a geographical hub for the smuggling of migrants who are trying to enter Western Europe.

The Global initiative against transnational organised crime (GI-TOC) published a new report: “Spot Prices: Analysing flows of people, drugs and money in the Western Balkans“.

It provides a detailed overview of the prices and routes for drugs and migrants being smuggled through the Western Balkans and sheds light on the size of the profits generated and where the money is laundered.

This report contains a wealth of information gathered through field research and interviews carried out with current and former law enforcement officials, investigative journalists, researchers, local officials, migrants, drug users, and civil society representatives in the region.

There are a lot of interesting maps and visual presentations about migrant smuggling, drug trafficking and money laundering. I hope you will enjoy it reading.

To read the report, follow this link>>>.

 

European Drugs Summer School 2021

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From the EMCDDA, we have received an update regarding the 2021 European Drugs Summer School (EDSS) – organised by the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE-IUL) in cooperation with the EMCDDA – which will take place online from 28 June until 9 July.

The course prepares professionals and students to meet the complex policy and practice challenges in the field of drugs. Involving scientific experts from the EMCDDA, university professors and policymakers, they provide a multi-disciplinary and inclusive approach to the study of the drugs problem in Europe and beyond.

The two-week course will focus on Vulnerable groups. Sessions will include lectures on the prevention of drug-related problems; social determinants of drug use and interventions for vulnerable groups (homeless, prisoners, migrants). Virtual study visits will be organised to one of the Portuguese commissions for dissuasion as well as a local harm reduction centre. During the course, students will participate in interactive workshops to discuss their own projects and views. The course will conclude with an open debate with guest speakers, followed by an exam for those wishing to obtain credits.

Also this time, the EMCDDA-IPA7 project will provide for some limited bursaries to applicants from the Western Balkan countries

Interested candidates should register before 7 June next, directly at the ISCTE-IUL web site by using the blue ‘Register Now’ button. Successful candidates will be informed about their bursary acceptance during the week of 14-18 June 2021.

For more information, please follow this link>>>.

 

Regional meeting “Children who use drugs”

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The regional meeting on “Children Who Use Drugs“, organised on 28 April by the Healthy Options Project Skopje (HOPS), was dedicated to exchanging experiences and sharing good practices in the region related to the problems and challenges faced by countries and civil society organizations in working with children and young people who use drugs, such as the availability of health and social programs for young people and children who use drugs.

Presentations on the topic had Liljana Ignjatova, Ph.D., Professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Skopje, Department of Psychiatry, and Head of the Centre for Prevention and Treatment of Drug Addiction, the Republic of Northern Macedonia, Eranda Berisha from Centre for Social Work Pristina, Kosovo*, Skerdi Zahaj, consultant in “Initiative for Social Change” ARSIS from Albania, Marija Mijović social worker at the NGO Juventas from Montenegro and Denis Dedajić from NGO Margina from Bosnia Herzegovina.

From the presentations of all speakers, it can be concluded that the rate of children and young people using drugs and other psychoactive substances is increasing. Health and other relevant institutions do not have an adequate answer to this question. In all countries in the region there is a complete lack of appropriate treatment programs for children who use drugs.

Recommendations from the meeting include:

  • Use good practices from countries where there are programs to treat and care for children and young people who use drugs
  • Prepare and adopt appropriate programs for the treatment of children and young people who use drugs
  • Strengthen partnerships between CSOs and health and social institutions in policymaking and provision of services for children using drugs

The project “The Role of CSOs in the Western Balkans in Providing Social Services and Preventing Social Exclusion” is funded by SIDA – Swedish International Development Agency, through the Balkan Civil Society Development Network.

The project is implemented regionally in six Western Balkan countries, including ARSIS Youth Support Social Organization (Albania), Asocijacija Margina (Bosnia and Herzegovina), HOPS (Northern Macedonia), Qendra Labyrinth (Kosovo), Prevent (Serbia), NVO Juventas (Montenegro).

 

Civil Society Declaration for 2021 HLM on HIV/AIDS

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From the Aidsfonds website

DPNSEE have endorsed the 2021 high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS Civil Society Declaration.

There is a crisis in the HIV response. Over the last five years, the world has failed to meet any of the targets for prevention, diagnosis and treatment set out in the 2016 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, with progress on HIV prevention lagging particularly far behind. The 2021 high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS – and the Political Declaration that results from it – is the last chance to create sustained momentum for the policies, programmes and funding that are needed to end HIV as a global health threat by 2030.

Now more then ever, evidence-based responses and renewed political will are called for –especially in face of the additional burdens imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to focus efforts and resources where they are most needed, we call for a Political Declaration that:

  • RECOGNIZES explicitly who is most at risk of HIV
  • ACKNOWLEDGES why this is so
  • COMMITS to fully fund and support effective responses
  • HOLDS ACCOUNTABLE Member States for their actions

As a team, Aidsfonds are proud of the hard work that we have done collectively to make this document a reality. We want to commend the Multi-Stakeholder Task Force and its Advisory Group for their efforts to bring the voices of our diverse communities to the table despite the limited time. The Civil Society Declaration builds on the UNAIDS regional consultations, over 700 survey respondents and input from the Multi-Stakeholder Hearing Civil Society Debrief.

We realize that it is impossible to craft a declaration that includes everything that everyone in our diverse HIV movement would wish for, but we hope you will find that many elements of the HLM 2021 Civil Society Declaration are aligned with your organizational priorities and that your community can take it and run with it.

To read and endorse the Declaration, please follow this link>>>.

Grants Program “Gender and HIV”

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Eurasian Key Populations Coalition (EKPC) is pleased to announce an open Request for Proposals (RfP) for 2021 Grants Program “GENDER and HIV” in framework of the #SoS_project.

Through this RfP2021, EKPC invites proposals from EECA countries (Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan) and SEE countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia), countries based civil society organizations scaling up access to gender oriented, sensitive and/or transformative HIV prevention, treatment, care and support and assuring that resources are mobilized and utilized appropriately to respond gender gap in HIV epidemic.

The goal of this year’s EKPC Grants Program is to contribute to improved health, inclusion and social wellbeing for TG in EECA and SEE. To reach this goal, EKPC provides funding to strengthen the institutional and advocacy capacity of civil society and their alias. The regional networks and national organizations, which meet the definitions and criteria set by this RfP2021 are invited to apply for a grant for up to 5 months duration.

The deadline for submission of proposals is 28 May 2021 at 12:00 (noon) CET.

For more details and application procedure follow this link>>>.

 

Letter of support for the decriminalization in Lithuania

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Eurasian Harm Reduction Association asks you to help us urge the Members of the Parliament – the Seimas of Lithuania – to support the drug policy changes (decriminalization project) in Lithuania and sign the attached letter.

Until January 2017, possession of psychoactive substances in small amounts in Lithuania was considered an administrative offence, regulated by the Code of Administrative Offences and as a criminal offence, regulated by the Criminal Code. There were so-called legal collisions (conflict of laws).

In January 2017, procurement and possession of a small amount of an illicit drug with no intent to distribute became an offence punishable by community service, restraint of liberty, a fine or arrest. The same offence involving more than a defined small amount, became a criminal offence punishable by up to two years in prison.

Over the past 3 years alarming indicators have shown that drug policy in Lithuania is focused only on criminalization of people who use drugs and possess small amounts of drugs without intent to distribute them. For example, possession of illicit substance in small quantities without intent to supply accounted for 77% of all drug related offences committed in 2019. 63 % of the offenders were under the age of 29. Between 2014 and 2019 there was an increase by 53,9% of drug laws related offences without intent to distribute. Each year, about 750 people are serving a custodial sentence in prisons, which costs Lithuania around 10,5 million Euro per year. In 2019, 21,7% of all inmates were officially diagnosed with mental and behavioral disorders due to drug use. While in prisons there are no harm reduction services, and limited access to OST.

At the moment, the Seimas of Lithuania is considering decriminalization of small amounts of drugs without intent to distribute them. Civil society from Lithuania is looking for an international community support.

If your organisation wishes to support the letter, please fill in this form before 9th May (by midnight, Vilnius time). The letter will be sent to the Members of the Seimas before the final hearings.

Feel free to share this email with other organisations which may be interested in supporting the initiative!

In case you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact eliza@harmreductioneurasia.org.