At the 66th session of the Commission for Narcotic Drugs (CND), which was held in the period from 13 to 17 March 2023 in Vienna, the Office for Combating Drugs of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, organized in cooperation with civil society organizations “Celebrate Recovery” from Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Izlazak Association” from the Republic of Serbia and “Preporod” Association from Montenegro, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Montenegro and with the support of international organizations – the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Federation Against Drugs (WFAD) round table entitled “Improving multidisciplinary approach towards people who use drugs and people in recovery in Western Balkan countries” (“Improving multidisciplinary approach towards people who use drugs and people in recovery in Western Balkans Countries”) on March 14, 2023.

The round table was attended by the director of the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), Mr. Alexis Goosdeel, senior officials of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Ms. Fariba Soltani, Zana Glavendekic, Gorica Popovic with associates, Permanent representative Ambassador Sinisa Bencun of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the UN, OSCE and other international organizations in Vienna, representatives of the Permanent Mission of Montenegro to the OSCE in Vienna, representative of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Joze Hren with associates, representatives of the Office for the Suppression of Drug Abuse of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, headed by the assistant director of the Croatian Institute for Public Health, Mr. Zeljko Petkovic, representatives of relevant international organizations and the above-mentioned civil society organizations who supported the holding of the round table.

The event in question was officially opened by the permanent representative of the Republic of Serbia to the OSCE and other international organizations in Vienna, prof. Dr. Ambassador Žarko Obradović, who said on that occasion that the Republic of Serbia is ready to provide successful cooperation in preventing drug abuse and prevention programs in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and in this way provide support for the implementation of the obligations provided for in UN conventions and protocols. The Republic of Serbia is one of the participants in the regional programs and initiatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC) in the area of ​​demandreduction, Prof. Dr. Ambassador Zarko Obradovic.

After that, the representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Billy Bаtwerе and the president of the World Federation Against Drugs (WFAD) Amy Ronshausen addressed the audience.Representatives of international organizations pointed out that young people, people with unfavorable socio-economic status and people with diagnosed mental disorders are at greater risk of drug abuse, as well as that people recovering from addiction represent a special vulnerable group. The high level of stigma among professionals is also a major problem. In addition to the role of the above- mentioned international organizations in providing support to persons in prison, the above-mentioned representatives provided support to the Republic of Serbia and especially to the Office for the fight against drugs in its active role of providing support to the projects of civil society organizations, both at the national and regional levels.

The representative of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Montenegro, Sandra Pestoric, pointed out that the disease of addiction is an inexhaustible problem that threatens families and communities, and sometimes leads to loss of life. According to her, the key to the solution lies in a multidisciplinary approach, that is, networking of the academic community, state institutions and civil society organizations, which is unfortunately underdeveloped in Montenegro. People with addiction problems represent a vulnerable group that needs to be supported, while stigma is a big obstacle on that path.

After that, the representative of the Office for the fight against drugs of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Branislava Cincarevic, took the floor, who briefly introduced the work of the Office and the activities that the Office will undertake in the coming period, both at the national and international level. In addition to cooperation with relevant international organizations, such as UNODC and EMCDDA, the Office can boast of successful cooperation with civil society organizations. Nurturing the principle of decentralization, as a result of cooperation on the regional project “I choose recovery”, is the signing of the Protocol on the formation of multidisciplinary teams with seven local self-government units on the territory of the Republic of Serbia, namely: Bor, Majdanpek, Novi Pazar, Backa Palanka, Sremska Mitrovica, Sabac, Loznica . Connecting all actors in MDT through multi-sector cooperation in the fight against drug abuse, sharing experiences and examples of good practices in MDT, providing the necessary assistance to persons with drug problems within MDT are just some of the goals of the functioning and work of multidisciplinary teams.

The representative of the “Izlazak” Association, Mr. Aleksandar Žugić, introduced the audience to the concept of inclusive cities. He pointed out that the principle of equality, as one of the universal principles, is enjoyed by all citizens of the Republic of Serbia, including persons in prison. The key to recovery is a change in social awareness about addictions, destigmatization and effective implementation of the process of reintegration of people in recovery. For the above reason, as a result of the regional project, multidisciplinary teams were formed in cooperation with the Office for the fight against drugs, whose goal is to develop a platform to support vulnerable categories affected by the problem of addiction.

Borislav Goić, representative of the civil society organization “Celebrate Recovery” from Bosnia and Herzegovina emphasized the desire to create a clear system oriented towards recovery so that people in recovery are provided with adequate help and support during the recovery process, and that representatives of a certain community are responsible for creating a clear system protection. In addition, he presented statistical data collected in work with users in the last six years with special reference to the importance of the helpline, as an initial step towards recovery both for the person in recovery and for family members.

At the end of the presentation, the director of the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) Mr. Alexis Goosdeel, addressed all those present, who expressed his gratitude to the Republic of Serbia, with special reference to the work of the Office for Combating Drugs of the Government of the Republic of Serbia in the field of drug policy in the territory of the Republic of Serbia. In addition to its role as a coordinating body for the work of state administration bodies in the field of drug enforcement, it is important to highlight its active and continuous participation in the work of prominent international organizations in the field of drug control, with the aim of exchanging examples of good practice and harmonizing regulations from this area with those of the European Union.