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On the eve of international HIV/AIDS Day, December 1, a group of 17 people from Russian city of Archangelsk and its region visited Sweden. Archangelsk lies in the far north of western part of Russia near the White Sea, with a population of over 356 000 inhabitants. It used to be Russia’s most important harbour city before St.Petersburg was founded in 1703 and still is one of the biggest commercial ports exporting fish and timber.
ECAD was a co-organizer to this study visit financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers working against the spread of drug abuse, HIV and AIDS.
The group consisting of prevention practitioners and university researchers, health, penitentiary and social service workers, Russian Federal Drug Control Service agent, policeman and parliamentarian, was on tour over Swedish social and health care services with a special focus on prevention.
Detrimentally contributing to the spread of HIV and AIDS, injecting drug users remain the primary concern for all parties involved in prevention in the Archangelsk region, scaling from educational institutions to policy makers.
Therefore study programme included visits to Swedish NGOs engaged in public policy moulding and AIDS problems (RNS and Noaks Ark), facilities for homeless and AIDS/HIV-infected (Convictus), state youth prevention centres (Swedish County Council), former criminals society adjustment NGO KRIS (Criminals Return Into Society) and National Police Board.
Giving credit to the well-functioning complex approach to health care in Sweden and cooperation between public and state organisations, Russian guests straight after their return came with some initiatives on inter-institutional cooperation. Among those were legislative improvements to define regional prevention measures against HIV/AIDS spread in Archangelsk region and cooperation mechanisms between institutions in charge; a new homepage covering all prevention actions to curb drug abuse and HIV/AIDS spread in the region; electronic data base for prevention work proceedings applicable in schools and other educational bodies, and expert council to work on developing preventive methods of all levels, designed for various social groups.
ECAD thanks warmly its partner organisations and state bodies for all help with this visit.
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Drug abuse is a critical threat for the nature. South American rainforest has dwindled with 5,9 million acres over the past 20 years due to illegal drug production. Take an active position against drugs, share your knowledge with us and join ECAD!
Under the auspicies of Swedish EU presidency Eurocities address the effects of climate change while pursuing economic growth, which is the ambition for the mayors of Europe’s biggest cities meeting in Stockholm November 24-26, 2009.
Vice Mayor of Stockholm, Mr. Ulf Kristersson spoke of ECAD`s role in this work:
"Poverty is too often closely linked to substance abuse. We should all try to cooperate in finding drug fighting best practice. Allow me in that perspective to highlight the Stockholm-based European organisation ECAD - European Cities Against Drugs - who`s mission is to support its member cities with knowledge and good examples in the field of illicit drugs... They are attending this conference. Blame me if the Director approaches you. And please do sign up as members."
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At the Press Conference, presiding left to right: Jim Corr, Location of the next ECAD Mayors Conference is
ECAD Chairman, Dr. Chris Said, Junior Minister for the island of Gozo, Malta
Public Dialogue and Information and Joe
Zammit, Mayor of Pembroke City Council
The autumn meeting of ECAD Advisory Board took place in Malta, September 25.
Due to economic difficulties in many municipalities the Board members met only twice this year. AB received additional support from the executive branch of city administration in St. Petersburg, Russia, and welcomed its new member, Leonid P. Bogdanov, Chairman of St. Petersburg Committee for public safety and law enforcement, to the Board.
The Board reflected on the ways of making ECAD work more effective and comprehensively offensive in the long run. ECAD`s newly launched website will be a handy tool making contacts and cooperation between practitioners and key persons in ECAD cities smoother and faster.
ECAD is bound to launch a new technically up-to-date website, we are looking forward to it this October!
Maltese government has demonstrated willingness to assist in organising ECAD 17th Mayors Conference on the Island of Gozo in April, 2010. Local mass media enlightened the plans at the Press Conference, where Dr. Chris Said, Junior Minister for Public Dialogue and Information welcomed ECAD guests to Malta next spring.
Pembroke City Council and its Mayor, Joe Zammit has shown genuine engagement in ECAD work, and Maltese local councils in general have been very active members of ECAD. ECAD highly appreciates this support and expresses gratitude about the proposal to host the next annual conference on this beautiful island.
Joe Zammit of Pembroke City Council At Oasi Foundation
shows his guests local specialties, tropical fruits
Later the Board visited Oasi Foundation on the Island of Gozo. Support and care for those in need of treatment from all over Malta, Gozo Citadel, unique natural resources and climate - all welcome you to Gozo next spring.
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From left: Patrik Runensson, Staffanstorp, Marcus Häggström and
Mattias Benke, Söderhamn, Carina Dahl, Chairperson ECAD Sweden
ECAD continues working and networking!
In his August chronicle, ECAD Director looks back at his first year in charge of the organisation. You find it in the menu to the left.
On September 14-15, a productive and interesting conference on primary drug prevention among young people took place in Tallinn. The conference materials are available under “Conference papers”.
The ECAD Advisory Board met on September 25 in Malta which will host the ECAD 17th Mayors’ Conference in April 2010. The preparations for this highest ECAD event have thus started.
ECAD has took part in the World Congress on Addictions “Experiences based on evidence”
Which took place in Mexico City on September 23 – 25, 2009. We have expressed our full support to the Declaration launched at the Panel “International Networks: Call to Action”. In this Declaration, the representatives of a large number of international networks of civil society around the world “call to action to all the involved actors, the governments, the institutions, the massive media, the scientific community, the legislator and the civil society in general to mobilize political will in favour of prevention and the application of all the necessary resources to stop marihuana legalization”.
Click here to read the Declaration.
The ECAD representatives participate in the St. Petersburg International Congress of Conflictologists on September 30 – October 12. ECAD through its Regional office in Russia has actively worked during the last 8 years to establish the concept of drug conflictoligy in Russia. Today, in co-operation with the St. Petersburg State University ECAD offers a Master Programme for drug co-ordinators. The drug conflictology approach serves as a scientific basis for this educational programme.
The ECAD Sweden network met in Staffanstorp-Helsingborg for its annual conference on September 23-25. The Irish city of Killarney contributed to strengthening relationships between Sweden and Ireland in regard to experience exchange and development of anti-drug fieldwork.
ECAD Sweden Network has an established tradition to mark the best anti-drug work conducted by a network’s member with a Challenge Prize. This year the prize (see picture) went to a city of Söderhamn. The city’s deliberate concentration on the needs of the youth along with the development of an anti-drug political programme has drawn national attention to this relatively small town. The many projects which are now running have their ground in a fact that the politicians actively responded to a restlessness noticed among young people and deliberately targeted youth as the primary group for the development of the city.
We are also happy to announce that the updated and refreshed ECAD homesite will be launched in the middle of October. Meanwhile you might experience some difficulties following some links or downloading files from our site. We beg your pardon for any inconvenience that might occur during this transitional period.
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Tallinn City Government and ECAD publish Conference Papers on Methods, Results and Effects for Successful Primary Prevention Programmes for Young People
Tallinn, Estonia, 14-15 September 2009
Have a look at the CONFERENCE MATERIALS here!
Old City of Tallinn
Subcategories
The ECAD Mayors' Conference
MAYORS` CONFERENCE 2017
ECAD 24th Mayors` Conference materials
On June 12-13, the city of Kaunas hosted ECAD 24th Annual Mayors`s Conference 2017
Safe Cities Without Drugs. Preventing, Protecting, Policing
Key-note speakers:
David W. Spencer, Field intelligence Manager, Drug Enforcement Agency, European Region
Supply reduction and dismantling drug trafficking organizations: In what ways can local communities benefit (PDF)
Kim Nilvall, Swedish National Bureau of Investigation, Intelligence section, Organized crime
Police work in socially disadvantaged areas in Sweden: Impact of drugs on urban crime (PDF)
Torsten Stodiek, Deputy Head, Strategic Police Matters Unit, Community Policing Advisor, Transnational Threats Department, OSCE
Preventing terrorism and countering violent extremism and radicalisation that lead to terrorism:
A community and intelligence led policing approach (PDF)
Jon Sigfusson, Director for Icelandic Centre of Social Research and Analysis, Reykjavik University, ICSRA
Youth in Europe and Planet Youth (PDF)
Laimonas Vasiliauskas, Senior Specialist, Serious and Organized Crime Department, EUROPOL
European Illicit Drug Market (PDF)
Antonio Boscini, Health Director, San Patrignano Community, Rimini, Italy
Recovery and social reinsertion: San Patrignano Community model extended (PDF)
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME (PDF)
FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT (PDF)
Conference Booking Form
Kaunas Castle
Picture: @Rokas Tenys
Warm welcome to Kaunas, Lithuania!