The cooperation between organizations active in the drug policy in South East Europe dates back to autumn 2009. In March 2010, an informal network of NGOs was created to continue the cooperation with the relevant authorities responsible for drug policy. Good experience of partnership and joint projects resulted in formal creation of the Drug Policy Network South East Europe in October 2015.
Throughout the three years of existence, we have had dozens of meetings, partnerships and contacts with decision makers at the national level. Here is an overview of some of them.
Country visits
During the visit to Montenegro, from 28 June to 1 July 2016, we met with Minister for Labour and Social Wellfare, National Committee for Drugs, Public Health Institute, Sektor za suzbijanje krijumčarenja droga u Upravi policije (Drug abuse prevention department in the Ministry of interior), KPZ Spuž (largest state prison), Special psychiatric hospital Dobrota, Metadonski program održavanja opijatskih zavisnika (methadone centre), Terapijska zajednica Kakaricka gora (therapeutic community), Kamp raseljenih lica sa Kosova na Koniku (Kosovo refugees centre).
At Kosovo, visited from 29 to 30 August 2016, we met with Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and other members of the coordinating body on drugs.
Delegation of the Drug Policy Network South East Europe visited Serbia from 31 August to 2 September 2016 where we met with Ministry of Health and newly established Office for combating drugs, Special hospital „Drajzerova“ and Institute for public Health „Dr Milаn Јоvаnоvić Bаtut”, Vojvodina Secretary for Health and the Clinic for Addiction in the Clinical Centre of Vojvodina.
With the Office for combating drugs of the Government of Serbia we signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
During the visit to Bosnia Herzegovina, from 3 to 6 October 2016 contacts were established with Psychiatric Clinic of the University Clinical Centre in Tuzla, the Methadone centre and Psychiatric Clinic of Banja Luka Clinic Centre, Tunjice prison, representatives of the Commission for the Prevention of Drug Abuse of the Republic of Srpska, Federal Ministry of Security, Institute for Alcoholism and Drug Addiction in the Canton of Sarajevo, Institute for the Prevention of addictions of the Zenica Doboj Canton, the Zenica Prison and participated in the meeting of the Country Coordinating Mechanism for Global Fund project.
In Albania, from 11 to 14 October 2016, the delegation met with Mr Ulsi Manja, Member of the Parliament, officials from the Ministry of Interior, Institute for Public Health and the Drug issues coordinator in the Ministry of Health.
Delegation of the Drug Policy Network South East Europe visited Macedonia on 21 to 22 December 2016. We visited the Methadone centre in the Karpoš municipality, Office of the Ombudsman, the Coordinator of Office for Health, Social and Child protection of the city of Skopje and the the National drug coordinator.
During the visit to Turkey, from 28 to 30 December 2016, we visited the Green Crescent of Turkey, Alcohol-Substance Addiction Research, Therapy and Education Centre and The Counselling centre (YEDAM).
Representatives of the Drug Policy Network in South East Europe visited Croatia from 22 to 24 March 2017 and met with the representatives from the Office for Combating Drugs Abuse of the Republic of Croatia, Mr. Ranko Ostojić – recent vice Prime minister and Minister of Interior, currently Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Domestic Policy and National Security and representatives from the Educational Institute for Public Health of the Split – Dalmatia county.
In Bulgaria, from 29 to 30 May 2017, we met with the Chief Expert in the Ministry of Health for the programmes financed by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Consultant for the program Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS, National Centre for Addiction and the Centre for the Study of Democracy.
During the visit to Slovenia which took place on 26 – 28 of September 2017, DPNSEE delegation met with the Senior Adviser I, Directorate for Public Health, Ministry of Health.
We co-organised a meeting between representatives from the countries in the region of South East Europe and representatives of non-governmental organisations (LINK TO http://www.dpnsee.org/governments-ngo-dialogue/).
For two years we run workshops at the Serbian Vision multi-congress, organised by the German – Serbian Chamber of commerce and Serbian Chamber of commerce.
DPNSEE coordinated the “Support. Don’t Punish” campaign in South East Europe in 2017 and 2018.
International contacts
- Dr. Doina Bologa, UNFPA Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Kosovo*, FYRO Macedonia and Serbia, Dr Jennifer Butler, UNFPA regional HIV expert, and Marija Raković, Programme Coordinator in Serbia
- Daniel Wolfe, director of International Harm Reduction Development, Julia Greenberg, director of Governance and Financing, and Ekaterina Lukicheva, program officer for the International Harm Reduction Development Program of the Open Society Foundations
- Gyongyver Jakab, Portfolio Manager, S&T Focal Point for Balkan Countries, the Global Fund
- Pavel Trantina, President of the Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship, European Economic and Social Committee
- Ugo Poli, Project Manager, Capacity Building and Focal Point, Migrations, Central European Initiative
- Michel Kazatchkine, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
- Vinay Saldanha, Director of the Regional Support Team for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
- Jindrich Voboril, National Anti-Drug Coordinator, Director of the Secretariat of the Government Council for Anti-Drug Policy Coordination, Czech
- Kirsten Horsburgh, National Naloxone Coordinator, Scotland
- Miloš Stojanović, Regional Project Officer, UNOD
- Ivana Goranić, the Expert on Governance for Growth working on justice issues at the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)
- Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection in Serbia and the Serbian Ombudsman
- Sorin Oprea, Director, Romanian Antidrug Agency
- Željko Petković, Head of the Drug Prevention Office, Croatia
- Anna Dovbah, the Executive Director of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association
- Dr Maja Vučković Krčmar, Programme Manager, EU policies in the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia
- Ambassador of Portugal to Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia His Excellency Augusto Saravia Peixoto and the Deputy Head of Mission Ms Graça Vosta Macedo
Drug Policy Network South East Europe was formally recognised as the member organisation of the Member of The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC).
International events
We participated in
- South East Europe High Level HIV Regional Meetings and SEE Regional Coordinating Mechanism
Paris Pact Expert Working Group on Integrating Drug Dependence and Care in the Public Health - Reitox – the European information network on drugs and drug addiction
- Annual meetings of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs
- Regional Harm Reduction Conference for Central Eastern Europe and Central Asia
- Third Annual Regional Conference ’’Move. Link. Engage – Rethinking Europe and Western Balkans”
- Multi-stakeholder workshop on UN Convention against Corruption in Southeast Europe
- Conference on Rational Drug Regulation
- Conference “Treatment and Harm reduction services in the context of the economic crisis, developments and challenges”
- The Second European Conference on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies – Lisbon Addictions 2017
- UNAIDS and Global Fund regional consultations with regional stakeholders on terms of reference for next round of Multi-country HIV projects to be financed by the Global Fund
- The Regional meeting “Addressing HIV and TB Challenges: from Donor Support to Sustainable Health Systems” of the civil society organisations from Eastern Europe and Central Asia
- The Senior Level Policy Dialogue “Addressing HIV and TB Challenges: from Donor Support to Sustainable Health Systems” – an official event in the programme of the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union
- A dialogue between civil society, donors, and technical partners on Building Partnerships to Sustain HIV Prevention Services for Key Populations in South Eastern Europe
- The 2nd European ChemSex Forum
- South-Eastern European Ministerial Meeting on Sustainable Responses to HIV and TB
- 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) – Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges