Mentor speaks to UNODC at Vienna consultation

Mentor International was invited to attend an international technical consultation at the United Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna to consider International Standards on Drug Use Prevention. The meeting involved over 50 people from around the world, predominantly researchers and government representatives, with Mentor as the only international NGO. A range of world experts in drug prevention reflected on the issues of quality standards and effective practice. A number of practical, effective programmes were discussed together with a report on the new European Quality Standards for Prevention and similar developments in Canada and South America.

Jeff Lee attended for Mentor and spoke about the role of the NGO, using the Partners in Prevention Project in East Africa as an example of developing quality practice with a focus on organizational and human resource capacity development. The intended outcome of the consultation is for UNODC to provide guidance for policy makers on how best to promote quality standards and provision in prevention based on sound evidence, effective practice, and international quality standards by the end of 2012.