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United Nations Development Programme / Armenia
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Contact: Mr. Hovhannes Sarajyan, Communications Associate
Tel: +37410 566 073
E-mail: hovhannes.sarajyan@undp.org<mailto:hovhannes.sa rajyan@undp.org>
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EU and UNDP Support in Establishment of Drug Rehabilitation Center
Yerevan, 27 April 2009 – Today, within the framework of the 5th phase
of the South Caucasus Anti Drug (SCAD) programme, Drug Rehabilitation
Center at the Narcological Clinic of Psychiatric Medical Center of the
Ministry of Health was officially opened. The Center has been
renovated and furnished and equipped with the financial support of the
SCAD-V programme, which is funded by the European Union (EU) and
implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in
Armenia.
The Center will create an enabling environment for drug addicts to
receive after-treatment psycho-social and legal support. It is
anticipated that the Center will provide both individual and group
counseling to marginalized patients, such as injecting drug users. The
resource center and the library are other opportunities open to the
patients receiving their treatment at the Narcological Clinic.
Addressing the event, Ms. Consuelo Vidal, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP
Resident Representative said, "Drug addiction is an illness that can
be prevented and treated. Early detection, greater prevention efforts,
better treatment of addiction, and integration of drug treatment into
public health and social services programs, can free people from the
nightmare of addiction. Treating those who suffer from drugs is an
investment in the health of Armenian nation as much as treating HIV,
diabetes, hepatitis or Tuberculosis".
Establishment of this Center is another step of cooperation and
partnership between the UNDP in Armenia, the EU and the Ministry of
Health. In 2006, SCAD Programme, phase IV assisted in creation of Drug
Detoxification Center at the Narcological Clinic, which currently
provides drug-free detoxification treatment to opioids addicted
people.
The overall objective of the SCAD-V programme is the gradual adoption
by South Caucasus beneficiary authorities of EU good practices in the
field of drug policies. From 2007-09, the SCAD programme has
encouraged the Governments of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to adopt
EU good practices in five key areas: legal assistance, drug
epidemiology/information, prevention of drug use, treatment for drug
addicts, and reinforcement of regional law-enforcement
cooperation. The programme will cover both supply and demand reduction
aspects and will facilitate the implementation of drug related
components of the Action Plans of the European Neighborhood Policy.
The SCAD programme is anchored on the EU Drugs’ Strategy for 2005-12,
which is based first and foremost on the fundamental principles of EU
law and founding values of the European Union such as respect for
human dignity and rule of law and protection of human rights. It aims
to protect public health and takes an integrated approach to the drugs
problem.
The programme also carries out research, baseline studies on drug
epidemiology aimed at the establishment of national drug information
systems, trains treatment professionals on innovative methods of
treatment and harm reduction, enhances regional cooperation between
law-enforcement operational officers, and trains educators, mass media
representatives and NGOs on primary drug prevention techniques.
Provision of technical assistance for detoxification centers and
forensic laboratories is another area of the programme activity.
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UNDP is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners. UNDP in Armenia was established in 1993 and supports the Government of Armenia to reach its own development priorities and the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.