The COPOLAD III program supports with European funds the promotion of research agendas in various countries of the region
Within the framework of the Early Warning Seminar in Mexico, organized by the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD-OAS) and the National Commission on Mental Health and Addictions of Mexico, the National Agenda of Research Priorities in Mental Health and Addictions was launched, developed with the support of the COPOLAD III Program in the line of Strengthening National Drug Observatories in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The definition and elaboration of a national research agenda expresses a process of dialogue between different academic institutions, civil society dedicated to drug research and the National Observatory on the various problems associated with drugs, such as problematic drug use, vulnerability due to stigma or social exclusion. After all, it is about violence that affects the integral health of people in the country, emphasizing the need for knowledge to guide specific policies for different populations.
All this has implied a strategic reflective exercise on research priorities that guarantees the allocation of financial and human resources and orients the training of researchers to produce knowledge that is scientific evidence for the design and evaluation of policies.
The COPOLAD III program supports with European funds the promotion of research agendas in various countries of the region. In the case of Mexico, it has included training for the coordination and professionals of the Observatory and the follow-up of each of the products (mapping, network assembly, scientific advisory committee and national agenda). The program also financially supports the hiring of a local professional who has accompanied the development of the activities.
This work is an important part of the area of work on observatories promoted by the program through the “Strategic support for strengthening national systems and regional networks of scientific research on drugs” working group led by Mexico. It also includes resource mapping for the generation of research networks and the development of scientific committees for the improvement of evidence on drugs.
Mexico’s agenda has been developed thanks to a collaborative framework between the National Commission on Mental Health and Addictions (CONASAMA), the National Council of Humanities, Sciences and Technologies (CONAHCYT) and the Cooperation Program between Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union on Drug Policy (COPOLAD III).
