The Virtual Conference on Drug Demand Reduction in Africa - Prevention, Treatment and Epidemiology was convened through a series of six plenary sessions beginning September 16, 2020, through to November 10, 2020.
Plenary 1: Setting the Scene for Drug Demand reduction in Africa
Date: September 16, 2020
Time: 2:00 – 4:10 pm South Africa time
Plenary Chair: Jeff Lee and Livia Edegger, ISSUP Global
Schedule
Conference Welcome and Introduction:
- 
	
Jeff Lee, Senior Consultant, ISSUP Global
 - 
	
Livia Edegger, Deputy Director, ISSUP Global
 
Setting the Scene:
- 
	
Roger Weimann - President, ISSUP SA; Director, SANCA Eastern Cape
 - 
	
Joanna Travis-Roberts - Chief Executive, ISSUP Global
 - 
	
Brian Morales - Branch Chief Counternarcotics, Office of Global Programs and Policies (INL/GPP)
 - 
	
Ambassador Adam Namm - Executive Secretary, Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), Organization of the American States (OAS)
 - 
	
Ms Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu - Deputy Minister, Republic of South Africa Department of Social Development (DSD)
 - 
	
Her Excellency Amira Elfadil - Commissioner for Social Affairs, African Union Commission (AUC)
 
Global Perspective – A Global Overview of Drug Use
- Chloé Carpentier - Chief, Drug Research Section, Research Branch, UNODC
 - Giovanna Campello - Chief, Prevention, Treatment & Rehabilitation Section, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
 
Continental Perspective – An Overview of Drug Use in Africa
- Dr Jane Marie Ong’olo - Head of Social Welfare, Vulnerable Groups and Drug Control, African Union Commission
 
African Union Plan of Action on Drug Control and Crime Prevention (2019-2023)
- Dr Abel Basutu - Senior Drug Control Programme Officer, African Union Commission
 
Global Initiatives by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, US State Department
- 
	
William McGlynn - Senior Advisor, Office of Global Policy and Programs, Drug Demand Reduction, INL, U.S. Department of State
 - 
	
Bruno Bui - Foreign Affairs Officer, Office of Global Policy and Programs, Drug Demand Reduction, INL, U.S. Department of State
 
Regional Perspective – Latin America and the Caribbean
- Marya Hynes - Chief, Inter-American Observatory on Drugs, CICAD
 
Summary and Invitation to Send Comments and Questions Arising from Inputs
Plenary 2: Evidence-based Prevention: Policy and Practice
Date: September 22, 2020
Time: 2:00 – 4:10 pm South Africa time
Plenary Chair: David Bayever, ISSUP South Africa
Schedule
What Constitutes Evidence-Based Prevention?
- Jeff Lee - Senior Consultant, ISSUP
 
Global Prevention Standards
- Giovanna Campello - Chief, Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Section, UNODC
 
Media-Based Prevention Programmes
- William D. Crano - Oskamp Professor of Social Psychology, Division of Behavioral and Organizational Science, Claremont Graduate University, USA
 
Alcohol Use Prevention (data on alcohol use, environmental prevention initiatives):
- 
	
Maristela Monteiro - Regional Advisor on Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) *Focus on the Latin America & the Caribbean
 - 
	
Professor Neo Morojele - Professor and Acting HOD, Department of Psychology, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
 - 
	
Professor Nazarius Tumwesigye - Associate Professor and Head of Department, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Makerere University School of Public Health, Uganda
 - 
	
René Adams - Programme Manager, Substance Abuse Prevention and Drug Control Rehabilitation Division, Social Welfare Services Directorate, Ministry of Health and Social Services, Namibia
 
Question & Answer Session
Plenary 3: A Focus on Treatment and Recovery
Date: October 6, 2020
Time: 2:00 – 4:10 pm South Africa time
Plenary Chair: Kim Johnson, ICUDDR
Schedule
Treatment Standards
- Anja Busse - Programme Officer, Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Section, Drug Prevention and Health Branch, UNODC
 
Service Quality Measurements in Treatment Facilities
- Professor Bronwyn Myers - Chief Specialist Scientist, Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council
 
Best Practices in Treatment and UTC training in Africa
- George Murimi - Training Coordinator for Africa, Colombo Plan DAP Credentialing and Certification
 - Becky Vaughn - Director, Global Centre for Credentialing and Certification (GCCC), Colombo Plan DAP
 
Case Studies of Treatment Programmes in Latin America/Caribbean and Africa
- 
	
Bawo O. James - Consultant mental health physician and a certified addiction treatment specialist, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
 - 
	
Yuri Cutipé - Executive Director of Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Peru Question & Answer Session
 
Plenary 4: Epidemiology and Its Role in Drug Demand Reduction
Date: October 20, 2020
Time: 2:00 – 4:10 pm South Africa time
Plenary Chair: Dr. Reychad Abdool, African Union Commission
Schedule
A Continental Overview of Drug Epidemiology in Africa
- Professor Isidore Obot - Director, Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse, Nigeria
 
Regional Perspectives
- 
	
Dr Olubusayo Akinola - Programme Officer, Drug Demand Reduction, ECOWAS Commission
 - 
	
Nadine Harker Burnhams - Research Scientist, South African Medical Research Council, SENDU/SACENDU
 
Overview of Drug Epidemiology in Latin America & Caribbean
- 
	
Pernell Clarke - Research Specialist, Inter-American Observatory on Drugs, CICAD - Caribbean
 - 
	
Roberto Canay - Co-President, ISSUP Argentina - Latin America
 
Synchronising Global Drug Epidemiology Data Collection
- 
	
Chloé Carpentier - Chief, Drug Research Section, Research Branch, UNODC
 - 
	
Enrico Bisogno - Chief, Data Development and Dissemination Unit, UNODC
 
Question & Answer Session
Plenary 5: Role of Legislators and Traditional Health Practitioners in Drug Demand Reduction
Date: November 4, 2020
Time: 2:00 – 4:10 pm South Africa time
Plenary Chair: Government of South Africa
Schedule
Role of the Legislator in Drug Demand Reduction
- 
	
Senator Mattie Hunter - Illinois State Senator, USA
 - 
	
Advocate Luyanda Mtshotshisa - State Prosecutor, South Africa (TBC)
 - 
	
Senator Héctor Yépez Martínez – Ecuador
 - 
	
Hon Seth Kwame Acheampong - Chairman, Defence and Interior Committee, Parliament of Ghana
 
Role of Traditional Health Practitioners and Leaders in Drug Demand Reduction (Roundtable Discussion)
- 
	
Dr. Pelmos Mashabela- Deputy Chairperson of the Central Drug Authority, South Africa
 - 
	
Dr Goodman Sibeko – Director of ITTC; Head, Division of Addiction Psychiatry, University
of Cape Town
 - 
	
Dr David Basangwa, Uganda
 - 
	
Representatives from other African Countries (Mauritius, Kenya)
 
Q&A Session
Plenary 6: Review and Reflections: A Panel Session
Date: November 10, 2020
Time: 2:00 – 4:10 pm South Africa time
Plenary Chairs:  ISSUP Global
Schedule
A panel session to respond to questions and issues arising from the previous 5 plenaries.
Panel members:
- Republic of South Africa (Dr. Pelmos Mashabela, Deputy Chairperson, CDA)
 - African Union Commission (Jane Marie Ong’olo, Head of Social Welfare, Vulnerable Groups and Drug Control)
 - ISSUP South Africa (Roger Weimann, President
 - South Africa Central Drug Authority (CDA) (David Bayever, Chairperson)
 - ISSUP Global (Joanna Travis-Roberts, Chief Executive)
 - ISSUP Global (Jeff Lee, Senior Consultant)
 - ISSUP Global (Livia Edegger, Deputy Director)
 - INL (William McGlynn, Senior Advisor)
 - CICAD (Jimena Kalawski, Chief, Demand Reduction)
 - Colombo Plan DAP (Thom Browne, CEO)
 - GCCC (Becky Vaughn, Director)
 - UNODC (Giovanna Campello, Chief, Prevention, Treatment & Rehabilitation Section)
 - ICUDDR (Dr. Kim Johnson, Executive Director)
 - ITTC (Dr. Goodman Sibeko, Director/Head, Division of Addiction Psychiatry, University of Cape Town)
 
Plenary Chair: ISSUP - Joanna Travis-Roberts/Livia Edegger
Welcome and Introductions
I. African Perspective
| 
			 Title  | 
			
			 Discussion Question  | 
		|
| 
			 AUC Jane Marie Ong’olo  | 
			
			 Head of Social Welfare, Vulnerable Groups and Drug Control  | 
			
			 Please cite an example of what makes the experience of Africa unique and common to all other continents in terms of Drug Demand Reduction  | 
		
| 
			 CICAD Jimena Kalawski  | 
			
			 Chief, Demand Reduction  | 
			
			 Perspective from Latin America/ Caribbean  | 
		
| 
			 ISSUP South Africa Roger Weimann  | 
			
			 President, ISSUP South Africa  | 
			
			 Perspective from South Africa  | 
		
| 
			 AUC Jane Marie Ong’olo  | 
			
			 Head of Social Welfare, Vulnerable Groups and Drug Control  | 
			
			 Please comment on the Role of Traditional Health Practitioners and Leaders in DDR in Africa  | 
		
II. Prevention
| 
			 Panel Representative  | 
			
			 Title  | 
			
			 Discussion Question  | 
		
| 
			 ISSUP Global Jeff Lee  | 
			
			 Senior Consultant  | 
			
			 Most people do not understand the importance of prevention, or the important points that are in the Prevention Standards. How do we help them understand?  | 
		
| 
			 UNODC Giovanna Campello  | 
			
			 Chief Prevention, Treatment & Rehabilitation Section  | 
			
			 Currently during the COVID-19 pandemic many risk factors are increased, and our access to people is reduced. Can you provide any tips on prevention measures to address these risk factors in these pandemic conditions?  | 
		
| 
			 ITTC South Africa Dr. Goodman Sibeko  | 
			
			
			 Head, Division of Addiction Psychiatry, University of Cape Town  | 
			
			 Discuss the importance of prevention and the Prevention Standards from the African perspective  | 
		
III. Treatment
| 
			 Panel Representative  | 
			
			 Title  | 
			
			 Discussion Question  | 
		
| 
			 Colombo Plan DAP Thom Browne  | 
			
			 CEO  | 
			
			 In light of the COVID-19 pandemic has there been an escalation of substance abuse disorders and their associated impacts?  | 
		
| 
			 African Union Commission Jane Marie Ong’Olo  | 
			
			 Head of Social Welfare, Vulnerable Groups and Drug Control  | 
			
			 Response from an African perspective  | 
		
| 
			 Central Drug Authority David Bayever  | 
			
			 Chairperson  | 
			
			 Response from a South African perspective  | 
		
IV. Professionalising the Workforce
| 
			 Panel Representative  | 
			
			 Title  | 
			
			 Discussion Question  | 
		
| 
			 ICUDDR Dr. Kim Johnson  | 
			
			 Executive Director  | 
			
			 What is the importance in light of the issues discussed in the conference, of professionalising the workforce?  | 
		
| 
			 GCCC Becky Vaughn  | 
			
			 Director 
  | 
			
			 Perspective from Global Centre for Credentialing and Certification  | 
		
| 
			 ISSUP SA Roger Weimann  | 
			
			 President  | 
			
			 Perspective from South Africa  | 
		
V. Closing Remarks
| 
			 Panel Representative  | 
			
			 Title  | 
			
			 Closing Remarks  | 
		
| 
			 INL Bill McGlynn 
  | 
			
			 Senior Advisor Office of Global Policy and Programs, DDR  | 
			
			 Closing Remarks - INL  | 
		
| 
			 AUC Jane Marie Ong’Olo  | 
			
			 Head of Social Welfare, Vulnerable Groups and Drug Control  | 
			
			 Closing Remarks - AUC  | 
		
| 
			 Central Drug Authority Dr Pelmos Mashabela  | 
			
			 Deputy Chairperson 
  | 
			
			 Closing Remarks – Government of South Africa  | 
		
| 
			 ISSUP SA Roger Weimann  | 
			
			 President 
  | 
			
			 Closing Remarks – ISSUP South Africa  | 
		
| 
			 CICAD Jimena Kalawski  | 
			
			 Chief, Demand Reduction  | 
			
			 Closing Remarks – CICAD  | 
		
| 
			 Colombo Plan DAP Thom Browne  | 
			
			 CEO  | 
			
			 Closing Remarks – Colombo Plan DAP  | 
		
| 
			 ISSUP Global Joanna Travis-Roberts  | 
			
			 Chief Executive 
  | 
			
			 Closing Remarks – ISSUP Global  |