3rd Global Forum of Young Leaders in Prevention of Psychoactive Substances kicks off in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI, 12th May, 2022 (WAM) — The 3rd Global Forum of Young Leaders in the Prevention of Psychoactive Substances kicked off in Abu Dhabi, to address drug abuse and addiction, and
seek to build a global network of partnerships between organisations and specialists in the field of substance use and disorders.

Held under the theme “Uniting the international community to face the challenge of addiction”, the event is being hosted by the National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) from 12th to 16th May at the Abu Dhabi Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), in cooperation with the The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the Colombo Plan for Economic Cooperation and Social Development in Asia and the Pacific, and the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD).

The forum coincides with the conference of the World Association of Treatment and Rehabilitation Specialists of Psychotropic Substances, which is being held in Abu Dhabi, under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.

During the event, Dr. Hamad Abdullah Al Ghafri, Director-General of the National Rehabilitation Centre, said the youth are the cornerstone of the UAE’s development process. He noted that the country is harnessing all its potential to develop the youth and empower young people, through a set of related programmes, projects, and initiatives.

“The UAE is keen on providing the latest medical practices and techniques based on scientific research and innovation in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of substance use,” he said.

He stressed that the main objective of the forum will be to strengthen the leadership of young people in the field of the prevention of psychotropic substances through the initiatives they organize, explaining that the forum aims to help young people establish and maintain substance abuse prevention activities, and to equip them with the knowledge and skills to implement effective preventive interventions and initiate youth-led community action plans in substance abuse prevention.

A team of 14 international trainers specialising in preventing the use of psychotropic substances among young people, and 10 youth workers who received intensive training for three months, will participate in the forum, which will be attended by 65 young men and women from 40 countries around the world, as well as 16 young men and women from the UAE.

The National Rehabilitation Center, he added, has developed a future work plan to track participants and what they are doing to prevent mind-altering substances, in which communication is done on a monthly basis by email and through a meeting virtual quarterly and a virtual annual gathering ceremony, and preparations are underway to establish a network that they manage themselves, so that the link of the center is not broken between them and to be a link for young leaders in this area at the regional level.