23/02/2023
Representatives of the European programme COPOLAD III have met with the Drugs Directorate of the Ministry of Justice and other institutions to discuss and coordinate future cooperation actions on drugs.
Representatives of the European programme COPOLAD III have met with the Drugs Directorate of the Ministry of Justice and other institutions to discuss and coordinate future cooperation actions on drugs.
Colombia is a country particularly affected by the impacts of its own drug policies and with an important role to play in promoting better collaboration on both sides of the Atlantic. For this reason, experts from the European cooperation programme COPOLAD III have visited Colombia with the aim of learning first-hand about the proposals being developed by the new Colombian government and offering support to implement more effective interventions against organised crime.
To this end, they have met with deputy ministers of Criminal Policy and Restorative Justice, Public Health and Service Delivery, as well as other related international and national organisations. They have also exchanged views with the Drug Directorate of the Ministry of Justice, in order to understand the key aspects of the new policy and the specific needs of the country.
The work of COPOLAD III is focused on the promotion and defence of human rights and on improving fundamental aspects of the country’s sustainable development. For this reason, they have met with representatives of the UN Human Rights Office in Colombia, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
One of the main objectives of the programme is to improve results for the most affected communities. Consequently, they have had a space for dialogue with sectors of civil society involved in the peace process and the improvement of the efficiency of drug policies, as well as organisations related to rural development in coca leaf growing areas.
This third edition is led by the Fundación Internacional y para Iberoamérica de Administración y Políticas Públicas (FIIAPP), in collaboration with the International Italo-Latin American Organisation (IILA), and in coordination with the German institution GIZ and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.
Over the next two years, the COPOLAD III programme will carry out more than half a thousand activities in various countries in the Ibero-American and Caribbean regions. These include training for civil servants, research, seminars, congresses and exchanges with other professionals through field visits and innovation spaces to develop effective public policy responses.
