Central Asia Drug Action Programme

Programme description

Title: Central Asia Drug Action Programme (CADAP 6)
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
Lead executing agency: Ministries of Internal Affairs and Health, Central Asia
Overall term: 2015 to 2019

Context

There is a strong link between drug trafficking and the spread of crime, corruption, substance abuse and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the Central Asian states – with serious implications for their legal, political, economic and social stability.

According to official statistics, heroin dependency in this region is particularly high, with heroin being taken by between 50 per cent and 80 per cent of registered drug users, depending on the country. Injecting drug use ranks as one of the main causes of the transmission of HIV and other blood-borne infections. Although the states concerned have done a great deal to raise awareness about the risk of infection from sharing needles and other drug injection paraphernalia, more still needs to be done to make people aware of what they can do to prevent HIV infection.

Objective

The capacity of Central Asian states to deal with the drug phenomenon in a comprehensive and sustainable manner has been strengthened.

Approach

The Central Asia Drug Action Programme (CADAP) supports the governments of Central Asian countries in implementing political strategies and practical measures to reduce the demand for illegal drugs.

The sixth phase has been under way since 2015, aiming to consolidate and build on the results already achieved. The project supports national drug strategies, national focal points, prevention and treatment. In addition, the project works together with related ministries, state agencies and other stakeholders, promoting measures to strengthen resources, build up capacities and upgrade professional skills. It promotes the mainstreaming and application of European best practices for drug prevention in Central Asia. All programme activities focus on national and regional capacity building. They comprise policy advice, technical support, drug monitoring, prevention measures, drug treatment and harm reduction services.

Various institutions of European Union (EU) members are involved in implementing the programme: Trimbos Institute (Netherlands), ResAd (Czech Republic), National Bureau for Drug Prevention (Poland) and Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (Germany). The EU has been funding CADAP since 2001. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been coordinating and steering the programme since 2010.

Results

  • Regional and national exchange formats for drug-related issues are sensitising people to the problem of drug use as a public health issue.
  • National drug information systems are improving the availability of information on the problem. Data is recorded and verified in accordance with international standards. National decision-makers use this data to develop and implement measures to reduce drug demand.
  • Relevant actors are better informed about the drug scene thanks to the project’s reports, studies and analyses, which they can use as a basis for developing targeted strategies.
  • The services offered for drug users are now better aligned with their needs. To achieve this, the project has used a combination of capacity-building measures, drug prevention and therapy. Partner institutions have been supported with technical equipment.
  • Moreover, a school prevention programme has been integrated into the national curriculum in Kazakhstan and contributes to prevention of drug use among young people. Parents and teachers are now far better informed as well.

Additional information