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european action on drugs

March 15 - Dianova in Portugal organized a national conference to take stock of the various commitments made as part of the European campaign launched to promote drug awareness

As a national coordinator of the "European Action on Drugs" (EAD) campaign, led by the European Commission, Dianova hosted a national conference on this topic at Lisbon's Jean Monnet center.

As a campaign signatory and National Supervisor in Portugal, Dianova presented the preliminary results of a Dianova-led, drug awareness initiative which is currently underway in the country: "Do not waste your own life".

View the photos on Flickr - European Action on Drugs, Lisbon 2011

The conference brought together a hundred participants representing universities, municipalities, government agencies and NGOs who gathered to achieve a common goal, that of preventing substance abuse, whether licit or illicit. Fifth of its kind, following the previous meetings held in Rome, Warsaw and Berlin, the Lisbon conference was the most successful according to the Director General of the European Commission's Justice, Freedom and Security Department who attended the event.

The consumption of illicit drugs has become a complex social problem which affects millions, at various levels. An effective policy in this field represents a major, global challenge.

The European Union and its member states are implementing series of measures to reduce supply and demand for drugs, in close collaboration with national governments and community-based organizations which play a significant role in this field. They are not alone though, because it is as least as important to utilize civil society as a whole, in its full potential.

The European Action on Drugs (EAD) is designed to provide European civil society with a platform for increasing awareness and commitment with regard to drugs and the risks related to drug abuse, and to promote dialogue and exchanges of best practices among interested organizations. As part of the European campaign, participants commit to take specific steps to increase the level of awareness towards substance abuse.

Of the 1316 commitment pledges registered on the campaign's web site http://www.action-drugs.eu, 710 have been brought to fruition. These commitments were made by personalities from the worlds of sports, entertainment, business, education and nongovernmental organizations. In Portugal the campaign now has 36 commitments, of which 14 have been implemented and published online, and 22 commitment pledges from public and private organizations (business and not-for-profit organizations), and individuals.

The objective of the Lisbon conference was to focus on drug prevention and more specifically on drug-related crimes among young people. The event not only allowed to look back to assess what has been accomplished since the project began, but also reflect on subsequent steps. It also allowed the various signatories of the campaign to share their experiences, while new entrants would make a commitment pledge during the event.  

The EAD can become your 'platform' for communicating and exchanging best practices. You too can join in and help bring about change! Please visit the campaign's web site at: http://www.action-drugs.eu

More on the web:

Presentation of Dianova in Portugal
http://www.slideshare.net/Dianova/dianova-ead-lisbon150311

Presentation of different initiatives implemented in Portugal as part of the EAD campaign
http://www.slideshare.net/Dianova/gnr-ead-lisbon150311
http://www.slideshare.net/Dianova/gaaf-ead-lisbon150311
http://www.slideshare.net/Dianova/psp-ead-lisbon150311
http://www.slideshare.net/Dianova/pressley-ridge-eadlisbon150311
http://www.slideshare.net/Dianova/projecto-homembraga-eadlisbon150311
http://www.slideshare.net/Dianova/apld-ead-lisbon150311

"Dianova and civil society", interview by Mr. Rui Martins, Dianova communication supervisor  at  RTP2 Portuguese TV  (in Portuguese language)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3i73x_CVrA

Dianova in Portugal on Wordpress
http://aprendercrescerconcretizar.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/ead/

View the photos on Flickr - European Action on Drugs, Lisbon 2011