On 29 July 2020, UNODC Civil Society Team and the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC), in collaboration with UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia (UNODC ROCA), jointly organized a web seminar on the World Drug Report 2020 for Central Asia. Dr. Borikhan Shaumarov, UNODC Mentor, UNODC ROCA assisted preparation of this webinar and presentation in Russian.  

The webinar was opened with remarks from Ms. Baktygul Sarybaeva, the representative of VNGOC and Ms. Viktorja Nesterovaite, the representative of UNODC Civil Society Team.  

Mr. Mirzahid Sultanov, UNODC ROCA presented overview of the...

UNODC Mentor in collaboration with colleagues from Coordination and Analysis Unit of the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia conducted a rapid assessment in four countries of Central Asia. The main goal of the brief research was to study the impact of restrictive measures imposed due to COVID-19 pandemic on the situation with drug use and provision of drug dependence treatment and services to reduce the negative health and social consequences as well as assist UNODC, donors, organizers and service providers in better adapting to the new situation.

Methodology of the rapid assessment...

UNODC Mentor initiated webinar held on 24 June 2020 in Uzbekistan. The purpose of the webinar was to create a forum for national experts to share valuable international experience on how to ensure the continuity and sustainability of drug dependence treatment, HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services for people who use drugs and how to implement evidence-based policies that ensure access to effective drug dependence treatment and HIV programmes for people who use drugs.

In his presentation Mentor outlined increasing challenges for treatment and care during COVID-19, UNODC...

In today’s conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and necessary quarantine measures taken by the Government of Kazakhstan psychosocial support and assistance, as well as self-education of stress management, supportive communication with each other and expert advice often become a necessity.  In this regard the Republican Scientific-practical Centre on Mental Health – a main partner of the UNODC global project GLOJ71 – “Treating drug dependence and its health consequences: Treatnet II” – initiated the establishment of the website “Psychological support and assistance during COVID-19” (https:/...

24-29 February 2020 - A team of national trainers from Central Asia attended the Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) Regional Training of Trainers held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The training was organized by the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia within the framework of UNODC global project – “Treating drug dependence and its health consequences: Treatnet II”.

18 national trainers (ICAP 1 holders) from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were trained on the two following UTC courses:

• Course 14: Working with Families with Substance Use Disorders
• Course 17: Case Management...

Abstract | Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic relapsing disorder that, whilst initially driven by activation of brain reward neurocircuits, increasingly engages anti-reward neurocircuits that drive adverse emotional states and relapse. However, successful recovery is possible with appropriate treatment, although with a persisting propensity to relapse. The individual and public health burdens of OUD are immense; 26.8 million people were estimated to be living with OUD globally in 2016, with >100,000 opioid overdose deaths annually, including >47,000 in the USA in 2017. Well-conducted...

On 4-8 November 2019 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 24 specialists from the drug treatment centres, narcology clinics and institutions of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in the Regional Training on introduction of the protocols on treatment for psychostimulants and for co-morbid psychiatric and medical disorders organized by  UNODC global project GLOJ71 “Treating drug dependence and its health consequences: Treatnet” in collaboration with Sub-programme 3 “Prevention, treatment and rehabilitation and HIV prevention” of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia...

From 15-21 July 2019 team of national trainers from Turkmenistan attended the National Training of Trainers held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

There were 12 representatives of drug dependence treatment service of the Ministry of Health of Turkmenistan and non-profit organizations (ICAP 1 holders) trained on the two following courses of Advanced Level UTC:

Course 12: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Course 15: Managing Co-Occurring Disorders

Trainer-led presentations, small-group and reflective exercises, role-plays and case study discussions helped participants to improve their knowledge...

From 23-31 July 2019, a team of master trainers from Central Asia attended the Regional Training of Trainers for Central Asia held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The training was organized by Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme (DAP) within the framework of UNODC joint capacity building activity with Colombo Plan.

There were 14 regional master trainers from five Central Asia countries trained on the two following Advanced UTC courses:

• Course 14: Working with Families with Substance Use Disorders (SUD)
• Course 17: Case Management Skills and Practices

Course 14 presented an...