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Publication of Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism 2021 National Evaluation Reports on Measures of Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Support in the Americas

The Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM), a mandate of the 1998 Summit of the Americas, is a peer review process that measures the progress of the actions taken by OAS member states to address the drug problem and related crimes. The MEM process, managed by the OAS’s Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD, by its Spanish language acronym), evaluates member states’ adherence to the OAS Hemispheric Plan of Action on Drugs (POA) 2021-2025, which serves as an implementation guide for the OAS Hemispheric Drug Strategy 2020.

As the only multilateral evaluation of its kind in the world, the MEM’s national reports and hemispheric briefs highlight the strengths and challenges in the formulation and implementation of OAS member states’ policies regarding the drug problem, encouraging national dialogue among policymakers. The eighth round consists of three annual evaluations covering the thematic areas outlined in the POA, as follows: Measures of Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Support, in 2021; Measures to Control and Counter the Illicit Cultivation, Production, Trafficking, and Distribution of Drugs, and to Address their Causes and Consequences, in 2022; and Institutional Strengthening; Research, Information, Monitoring, and Evaluation; and International Cooperation in 2023. Following the evaluation of all thematic areas, in 2024, there will be a comprehensive evaluation, which will assess any updates to the 2021 to 2023 national reports.

During its seventieth regular session, held November 16-19 and chaired by Costa Rica, CICAD approved the MEM 2021 national evaluation reports on “Measures of Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Support,” which address demand reduction themes such as:

• Implementation of evidence-based drug use prevention strategies in various relevant population groups, including school children and university students, indigenous people, migrants, and refugees.
• Governmental coordination with civil society, including academic and research institutions, in the development and implementation of drug demand reduction programs.
• Development of national, regional, and local level assessments of the needs and supply of primary care, treatment, and reintegration services.
• Consideration of International Standards for the Treatment of Drug Use Disorders in national care, treatment, rehabilitation, recovery and social integration programs and services.
• Promotion of measures to address the stigma and social marginalization associated with substance use disorders, which may deter individuals from seeking, accessing, or completing demand reduction services.
  
  The MEM reports can be accessed through the following link.
  
  

  Reference: E-118/21